Yale Murphy
William Henry "Yale" Murphy (October 11, 1869 – February 14, 1906) was an American baseball player and coach of American football and baseball. He played as a shortstop in Major League Baseball for the New York Giants. Murphy served as the head baseball coach at Stanford University (1900–1901), Columbia University (1902), and the United States Naval Academy (1905), compiling a career college baseball record of 24–27–1. He was also the head football coach at Fordham University in 1902, tallying a mark of 2–4–1.
| Yale Murphy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Infielder / Outfielder | |
| Born: October 11, 1869 Southborough, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| Died: February 14, 1906 (aged 36) Westborough, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 19, 1894, for the New York Giants | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 26, 1897, for the New York Giants | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .240 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 45 |
| Teams | |
| |
Biography
Murphy was born in Southborough, Massachusetts. He attended Yale University, which is how he got his nickname, and played for the National League's New York Giants in 1894, 1895, and 1897. Also called "Tot" or "Midget", Murphy was small even for his era. He was 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) tall and weighed 125 lbs.[1] He and Dickey Pearce are the two shortest players ever to have a career in Major League Baseball. In 1894, there was a book written about him that was entitled Yale Murphy, the Great Short-Stop, or, The Little Midget of the Giants.
Murphy started his professional baseball career in 1894. That season, he was a backup shortstop and outfielder, playing in a career-high 75 games, batting .272, and stealing 28 bases. In 1895, he played mostly in the outfield. He hit just .201 and did not play for the Giants in 1896.[1] He returned for a few games in 1897 and then played one season (1900) in the New York State League.[2]
Murphy batted .240 in 131 career games. After his baseball days were over, he became a physician.[3]
Murphy died of pulmonary tuberculosis on February 14, 1906, after a period of poor health at his home in Southville, Massachusetts. He was the brother of Mike Murphy, athletic trainer and coach.[4][5]
Head coaching record
Football
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fordham Rams (Independent) (1902) | |||||||||
| 1902 | Fordham | 2–4–1 | |||||||
| Fordham: | 2–4–1 | ||||||||
| Total: | 2–4–1 | ||||||||
Basketball
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yale Bulldogs (Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League) (1902–1903) | |||||||||
| 1902–03 | Yale | 15–1 | 7–1 | 1st | Helms National Champions | ||||
| Total: | 15–1 (.938) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
References
- "Yale Murphy Statistics and History". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
- "Yale Murphy Minor League Statistics & History". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
- "The Players Speak: Heading Home". thedeadballera.com. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
- ""TOT" MURPHY DEAD.; Yale Athlete Brother of Trainer Murphy, Succumbs to Consumption" (PDF). The New York Times. February 15, 1906. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
- "Too Young To Die". thedeadballera.com. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)