Hunter High announces new head football coach

Murphy, a celebrated coach from California, most recently coached football for Clovis East High School, Calif. During his 15 years as a head coach, he has led teams to nine league championships, three undefeated seasons and 12 playoff invitations.

He was awarded an ESPY as Coach of the Year in 2007 and was appointed coach of the Under Armour National All-Star Game.

“We opened our interview process up to a national search, and that is where we found Tim Murphy,” Hunter Athletic Director Ryan Shaw said. “He also has his own personal contacts in Utah that encouraged him to apply. We are most excited for Tim’s passion and motivation. He is a winner, and he likes to run the ball, which is something we do well here at Hunter.”

Murphy has already met with a number of the players and Les Hamilton, the coach he will be replacing, to prepare for next season. Hamilton resigned after one year coaching for Hunter to take the Pleasant Grove High School football coaching job.

“We were fortunate to have Les as a coach for a short time,” Shaw said. “We are sorry to lose him but excited for the new opportunity we have with coach Murphy.”

While Murphy has an impressive resume on the field, he has also invested in the kids’ school work off the field. In two years, his teams’ overall GPA averages were at 3.0 or above, which in turn doubled the number of players he had on the team.

“As a head football coach, I have had some incredible opportunities to inspire and direct young people,” Murphy said. “I have learned a lot during my experiences and know that every day is a new opportunity for growth and improvement. I look forward to working with the great student athletes at Hunter High School.”

Murphy has been invited to speak at more than 50 different clinics for companies like Nike, Reebok and Glazier all over the United States and in Europe. He took struggling football programs and made them successful, according to Shaw, who said this was a motivating factor in hiring him.

“I have published over 30 training videos for three different companies, and have written over a dozen published articles and one book,” Murphy said.

Murphy recently moved to Utah with his 9-year-old daughter, Kennedy, and his wife, Christy Murphy. He was expected to begin teaching at Hunter on Jan. 17. He will being holding a parent night meeting to share his vision for Hunter High School football Jan. 19 at 7 p.m.