Coach Murphy Will Not Pursue Navy Position

Harvard football coach Tim Murphy announced yesterday that he has taken himself out of consideration for the head coaching position at Navy.

“I know there’s been a lot of speculation about me and the vacancy at Navy,” Murphy told The Crimson yesterday afternoon. “While the Navy job is intriguing, it’s not something I’m pursuing.”

Murphy, who led the Crimson football squad to a perfect 9-0 record and the Ivy League championship this year, confirmed he had visited Annapolis this past weekend, but said that he and his family had decided to remain at Harvard.

“My family loves the Boston area and did not want to leave Boston and Harvard. I love coaching here,” Murphy said.

Harvard Athletic Director Robert L. Scalise said Murphy had left him a voice-mail message informing him of the decision early yesterday.

“It’s exactly what we hoped for,” Scalise said. “It’s made for a long week, but I’ve got a smile on my face.”

Members of the team, who said they were “cruising the Internet” for information, were somewhat surprised.

“Up until [yesterday], the sentiment after reading he was the leading candidate was that Murphy was thinking that he was going to be leaving,” said junior center Nate Torinus. “But nobody was sure.”

Players greeted the news with joy.

“Murph is a good coach, and we are glad to have him back,” said sophomore defensive back Benny Butler. “It shows the love he has for our team and the Harvard program.”

In the past week, newspapers have reported that Murphy was one of the leading candidates for the Navy job, but Murphy said had already decided to remain at Harvard.

“Emotionally, I made the decision a week ago,” Murphy said.

Murphy was expected to make an official announcement last night at the New England Sports Writers’ Association’s annual awards banquet, where he was scheduled to receive the Coach of the Year award.

Members of the team said they were not suprised Murphy was considered for posts at higher-profile football programs.

“We expected [Murphy’s] interviews [at Navy] after the season ended—when you have a perfect season people will want what you had,” said sophomore punter Adam Kingston.