Dale Murphy

Template:Mlbretired Dale Bryan Murphy (born March 12 1956) is a former center fielder and catcher in Major League Baseball, born in Portland, Oregon. Murphy is regarded by many as a premier player during the 1980s. His best years were with the Atlanta Braves, appearing in the All-Star Game seven times, and leading the National League in home runs and RBI twice; he also led the major leagues in home runs and runs batted in over the 10-year span from 1981 to 1990. He led the National League in games, at bats, runs, hits, extra base hits, RBI, runs created, total bases, and plate appearances in the 1980s. He also accomplished a 30-30 season in 1983, at the time only the 6th player since 1922 to do so. In addition he also won five consecutive Gold Glove Awards, and won two consecutive MVP awards in 1982 and 1983, making him one of only four outfielders in major league history with consecutive MVP years, and the youngest ever to do so at the time. Also, between 1981 and 1986, Murphy played in 740 consecutive games, at the time the 11th longest such streak in baseball history (since then passed by Miguel Tejada and Cal Ripken).

His professional baseball career began in 1976 and ended in 1993; he also played for the Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies franchises. He finished his career with 398 home runs and a .265 batting average. He reached the playoffs only once, in 1982, where the Braves were eliminated in the first round by the St. Louis Cardinals. His jersey number "3" was retired by the Atlanta Braves in 1994.

Murphy's squeaky-clean habits off the diamond were conspicuous in a league racked by illegal drugs and salary controversies. A devout Latter-day Saint, commonly known as a "Mormon", Murphy did not drink alcohol, would not allow women to be photographed embracing him, and paid his teammates' dinner checks (as long as alcohol was not on the tab). Murphy had been introduced to Mormonism by Barry Bonnell, a teammate early in his career. For several years, the Atlanta Constitution ran a popular weekly column, where Murphy responded to young fans' questions and letters. Murphy's TV commercials usually had him advertising milk, ice cream, and Canon cameras. In a scene reminiscent of The Pride of the Yankees, Murphy once promised a disabled girl in the stands he'd hit a home run for her - and actually knocked out two. In 1987, he shared Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsmen and Sportswomen of the Year" award with seven others, characterized as "Athletes Who Care," for his work with numerous charities, including the Make-a-Wish Foundation, the Georgia March of Dimes and the American Heart Association.

Interestingly, Murphy did not begin his career as an outfielder. He began as a catcher, but had difficulties throwing out runners attempting stolen bases. He was moved briefly to first base and left field before reaching the peak of his success playing center field and eventually right field, being widely considered the best all-around player in the major leagues for the 6-year span between 1982-1987.

After his baseball career ended, Murphy became more active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. From 1997 to 2000, he served as president of the Massachusetts Boston Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Murphy was at one point said to be considering a run for Utah governor in 2004, but failed to generate enough interest within the Republican Party. He now also lives in Alpine, Utah.

Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame Votes    

Year	Votes	Pct
1999	96	19.32
2000	116	23.25
2001	93	18.06
2002	70	14.83
2003	58	11.69
2004	43	8.50
2005	54	10.46

Dale Murphy has been on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot since 1999 but so far has not received more than 23% of the vote. 75% of the vote is required for Hall of Fame induction.

See also

• Top 500 home run hitters of all time

External links

• Career statistics from Baseball Reference
• Plaque at Baseball Immortals
• IMNO interviews Dale Murphy
• SI.com
• Forever a Brave - A Tribute to Dale Murphy
• DaleMurphy.com - The Unofficial Dale Murphy Fansite
• Georgia Sports Hall of Fame