Jim Murphy ’69 was one of the finest players in the history of Bates football, and perhaps the program’s greatest quarterback. He still owns the team’s records for touchdown passes in a career (50) and season (17), and is one of just four players to have his number (10) retired, in 1968. He also played two years of varsity basketball at Bates.

Murphy’s reputation even in his student days was built on his hard work and pursuit of team goals. “He was kind of humble about it all,” the late Bob Hatch, former Bates football coach, told Bates Magazine in 1997. “He never considered himself a big star, even though he clearly was.”

Led by Murphy, the Bates football team ran off four straight winning seasons from 1965 through 1968, with their best season coming in 1966, as Bates went 6-2 and captured the outright CBB series title. They successfully defended the crown in 1967 and the Bobcats finished Murphy's tenure at QB with an overall record of 22-11, the most successful four-year run in the history of the program.

Murphy returned to his alma mater in 1994 to lead the women’s varsity soccer and basketball programs.

At Bates, he spearheaded an almost immediate turnaround in the basketball team’s fortunes. Murphy led the Bobcats to a 17–7 mark in his second season, 1995–96, kicking off a run of 15 consecutive winning seasons. Bates competed in the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time in 1996–97, finishing 20–5, then returned to the NCAAs for three more years in a row, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 1997–98.

Bates reached new heights in 2004–05, earning the No. 1 national ranking for four weeks and finishing 25–3 with a second NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance. Bates returned to the tournament for a sixth time in 2006, finishing 19–9. Sixteen of Murphy’s 21 teams finished with a winning record, and six former players were named All-America. In his 21 years leading the Bates women's basketball team, the Bobcats recorded a record of 343–187, good for a winning percentage of .647.

Murphy led the women’s soccer team for 16 seasons beginning in 1994, amassing a 146–93–13 record, including the 2005 NESCAC Women’s Soccer Championship and NCAA Division III Championship tournament appearances in 1996, 1997 and 2005. Murphy also coached the team to two ECAC Championship finals, winning the title in 1998.

Hailing from Portland, Maine, Murphy brought his simple, hard-boiled ethos into his coaching philosophy, and his players were known for their mental toughness. In the Bates Magazine story, he said, “Everything has to be earned. If you’re a member of varsity or a starter, you should be proud, but come fall or spring, it’s something you have to earn."