Coach Murphy addressing the team after being hired to lead the football program. (Photo Courtesy: Ryan Emerson).
It is not often that a student athlete gets to come back to their alma mater to become the head coach, but for Dean College alumnus Andrae Murphy, that is exactly what happened. Murphy was recently hired to become the Bulldogs new football head coach, taking over for Stephen Tirrell after the team went 2-8 last season. Murphy played football as a defensive back at Dean from 2005-2007 where he earned an associate degree in communications.
Murphy’s fondest memory from playing football for the Bulldogs is when they went on the road in 2007 and beat Nassau Community College, which was the number five team in the country at the time. “A lot of people thought it was an upset, but we were pretty confident going into that game and I feel like that was one of those games that was pivotal in our transformation in making those championship runs that we all know that Dean is capable of doing.”
Previously, Murphy had been at Columbia University as a defensive backs coach at the Division I level. While he really enjoyed his time there, he realized that there are not too many opportunities to become a head coach, especially at your own alma mater. Coach also sees this opportunity as a new challenge to get Dean back to where it was previously. While Murphy understands that he is moving down a few NCAA athletics levels, he does not see too much of a difference in the play at the Division III level. “At the end of the day, football is still football. While there are different time commitments at different levels, if you realize that there are also big commitments off the field like watching film, studying for a play on their own, taking care of their body with nutrition and in the weight room. But at all levels you are going to have good football players and programs.”
Coach Murphy had the opportunity to meet with the players as he held a team meeting when he first arrived to campus a couple of weeks back. He has had a revolving door of different players coming into his office to spend some more one-on-one time with him, which he believes is vital and has continued to encourage them to do. “This is all about relationships and building trust, and in order to do what we all plan on doing, we have to all trust each other.” He also told the team that his goals for this upcoming season will be challenging, but the key will be fighting through adversity. “I told them that the mindset of what we are going to be embarking on is going to be tough, we have goals we set as a team, and we know that they aren’t going to be easy and will take a lot of work, but we are going to have fun doing it and getting the buy in and commitment from those guys getting ready to undertake these situations.”
Freshman defensive lineman Zion Edison was in the meeting with Coach Murphy and said that he has fully bought into the new coach’s mindset. “My biggest impression from meeting Coach Murphy is that he’s got a winning attitude and has big plans for the program. The biggest message he sent in our first meeting was that he’s ready to win and that we’re going to overcome any adversity in front of us.” On the offensive side of the ball, sophomore tight end Jordan Mason is also very excited to play for Coach Murphy. “The thing that I’m looking forward to the most is being able to see the progress that we will make this season being coached by Coach Murphy. The biggest message that Coach Murphy gave to us is that the keys to accomplishing our goals that we have set will have to be done by doing the little things right and just taking everything day-to-day.”
While Murphy has some lofty goals for the Bulldogs, he understands that it is a process and will not happen overnight. “We want to be competitive and win championships, but we understand in order for it to happen we have to win today. Right now, our guys have winter conditioning but as coaches we are not allowed to be there, but I tell them you got to win in the weight room today and in the classroom today and take care of your body by going to sleep at a good time. If we win those little battles and do enough of that, by the time the fall comes we will be where we need to be.”
A lot of the coaching staff from last season will be returning, but there will be some new additions coming. However, those hires are still in the works.
Murphy is a defensive minded coach by trade and will look to run either a 4-3 or 4-2-5 scheme defense with Dean. Something that he has stressed is that he wants his team to be disciplined and play fast on first and second down. At the same time though, he does not want his players to overcomplicate things. While he will certainly have his defense bring pressure to try to get after the quarterback on third down, he will also try to have the defense bring pressure on first and second down as well.
Coach Murphy is also very proud to have on his resume that he spent time in the Army. “I’ve always had an interest and feel for it growing up as a child since I had some family members that were in the Air Force and a couple that were in the Marines. When my football career ended, I realized that this was going to be my last opportunity,” Murphy explained. “I was actually supposed to become a police officer in Rhode Island, but I chose to pursue the military instead because I liked the idea of being able to live in different places instead of being hunkered down in one place for an entire career.”
Having experience in the military has given Coach Murphy a different perspective as to what true adversity is and how he is able to relay that on the football field and to his players. “The ability to overcome adversity in every form. I think that is a pillar in our program and has been a pillar in every program I have been a part of because you are going to face adversity as a football player whether it is a bad call from a ref, a fumble, dropped touchdown pass or whatever the case may be. Being able to block that out and overcome it, I think the military teaching me how to do that is probably the greatest asset that I have gotten from the military.”
While Murphy admits that last season is in the past and there is nothing that they can do to change that other than continuing to work hard, he does promise Bulldogs fans one thing. “We will be competitive and a disciplined football team that is going to go out and compete and fight until the very end.”
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