El Paso Chihuahuas hire Pat Murphy as field manager
The Tucson Padres’ field manager Pat Murphy will be following the team to El Paso when it starts the inaugural season as the Chihuahuas in April 2014.
The El Paso Chihuahuas have announced Murphy as the first ever field manager for the Triple-A Team.
Murphy led the Triple-A Tucson Padres to a 77-67 record in the 2013 season, good for fifth-best in the 16-team Pacific Coast League.
In 2011 and 2012 Murphy managed short-season Eugene, posting the best record in the Northwest League both seasons. The Padres hired Murphy in 2010 as a Special Assistant to Baseball Operations.
“The El Paso Chihuahuas are fortunate to have a proven winner like Pat Murphy as the first manager in team history,” said Chihuahuas General Manager Brad Taylor. “Pat’s commitment and understanding of the team’s role in our community is also a huge asset.”
“It is a great privilege to be part of a new beginning in El Paso professional baseball,” Murphy said in a statement. “I am really excited for the season and look forward to getting to know the El Paso community. It is a wonderful opportunity.”
More on Murphy
Before joining the Padres organization, Murphy was one of the most successful coaches in college baseball, accumulating 1,000 career wins before age 50, a feat accomplished by only two other coaches in history. His Arizona State Sun Devils strung together 47 consecutive Top 10 rankings from 2007-2009.
Murphy also had tremendous success at Notre Dame, where the locker room facility is named the “Pat Murphy Clubhouse” to honor his stint as Fighting Irish head coach from 1988-1994.
Murphy pitched four seasons professionally, including one year with San Diego’s High-A Salem affiliate in 1983.
