By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

There’s nothing more reassuring for a young baseball player than to see his father in the stands.

And for nearly half a century, that’s exactly what South Hills baseball coach Darren Murphy got from his dad.

It meant everything.

Sadly, for the first time in his playing or coaching career, Darren’s father will not be in attendance when Murphy’s program opens its season on March 19.

Mr. Murphy passed away at age 81 back on October 11 of 2020, but not before imparting a lifetime’s worth of lessons and examples for his four children to carry forward.

John Murphy was born in Detroit in 1939 to parents that had emigrated from Ireland, and came to the United States on coffin ships back in 1918.

At the age of 16, he stocked shelves at Tigers home games for five innings a night, and then came the fun.

Murphy was permitted to watch the final four innings nightly and he got to see heroes like Al Kaline, Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford and so many marquee names that came to play Detroit in the 1950’s.

John came out west to serve in the United States Marine Corps from 1958-1962 at Camp Pendleton, and then briefly moved back to Detroit.

That same year, at the age of 23, Murphy would meet a girl named Ilene.

Ilene and John got married in 1963 and remained sweethearts for the next 57 years until his passing.

After moving to California in 1966, Ilene and John had three boys (Kevin, Gary & Darren) and a daughter named Brenda.

Ilene and John both worked for GTE.

Mrs. Murphy was an operator in Covina, and he was a lineman in Irwindale and did telephone repair and climbing lines, especially during inclement weather.

John’s work ethic was so strong that he could only enjoy about a year of retirement and playing golf before getting bored, so he spent the last 14 years of his life doing a myriad of tasks for Home Depot.

When did Mr. Murphy’s impact begin on Darren?

“My first memory is of my dad coaching my brother Kevin’s team and I saw him in charge and players coming up to him and it really got me interested in coaching,” Darren said. “You could tell he enjoyed what he was doing and the players respected his knowledge of the game. With my dad, it was always about helping others. He was a very selfless man.”

During that time, at age 4, Murphy would wait for his brother Kevin to come home in his dirty uniform, and he’d put it on and go into their backyard and replay the game he had just witnessed.

And then it was his turn to play for his hero.

Murphy played both little league and pony-colt for his father, before heading to Northview High School.

After four years with the Vikings and one of JC ball, Murphy was invited to lunch by a friend who played at the University of La Verne.

His buddy convinced him to meet the Leopards baseball coach.

Things went so well that day that his parents would head over to meet the coach themselves, and before the night was over, Darren was enrolled at the university.

As happy as he was, there was one thing that kept popping up in Darren’s head.

‘Can we afford this?’

Murphy’s parents put their heads together and were able to come up with $20,000 for a semester to send their youngest child to college.

When Darren graduated from La Verne in 1995 with a degree in Kinesiology, he was the first to earn a college degree from his immediate family.

What are some memories of his father during Murphy’s coaching career?

Darren began his head coaching career in 1999 for his alma mater at Northview.

During the next 15 years, Murphy recalls seeing his father during games. and at one point John would be in his work truck for 30 minutes or so to catch a glimpse of a game.

And maybe a couple innings later, his father showed up in his personal vehicle to close out the game with his wife.

“It was such a comforting feeling knowing he was there,” Darren said. “Even well into my coaching career, I felt like a young kid seeing my parents in the stands and rooting for my program and the kids. One of the great things about my dad was that even when we came up short in the playoffs, he’d still root just as hard for other local teams and players.”

Mr. Murphy also taught his son to keep things as simple as possible and that doing all the little things right took care of a lot of problems that add up over a baseball game.

“Just like my dad, I never get on a kid if he makes a physical error, but it drives both of us crazy when they miss a sign or don’t get a bunt down or little things like that. I also, because of his example, take accountability for my actions, so my players know we’re all responsible for doing our job.”

There were many games when Darren’s entire family was in attendance and baseball became something that brought a very athletic family together.

And that’s something that will make it difficult when the 2021 season assumingly gets underway next month.

John Murphy’s final game as his son’s biggest fan, was a 7-1 victory against Tesoro back on March 3 in south Orange County.

But before he left this life, John had the pleasure of watching his son reach the highest of pinnacles.

Darren Murphy is on a very short list of high school baseball coaches to win two CIF-SS championships.

The most impressive part, though, was seeing his son accomplish something that only a handful of southern section coaches had done, and that’s leading two different programs to championships.

In 2008, Northview defeated Diamond Ranch, 1-0, at Dodger Stadium.

Perhaps the most satisfying part of that championship run was the fact that the Vikings were just a few outs away from Dodger Stadium the year prior before some seventh-inning mishaps led to a devastating season-ending loss at Santa Monica.

Eight years later, Murphy led South Hills to a 4-3 victory at San Manuel Stadium in San Bernardino over Redlands East Valley to claim a second title.

Over his career, John Murphy’s son has an overall record of 389-181-4, including 12 league championships and 19 playoff appearances.

Murphy also serves as the school’s athletic director, so Ilene and John’s son got to live a better life, because of their love, guidance and support.

John and Ilene also adore their three grand daughters from Darren and Zeba Murphy.

Karina (19) and Maddy (18) are both attending college and their seven-year old sister, Rose, is following in her big sister’s footsteps, something that makes mom, dad and their grandparents so proud.

What are some lasting lessons/examples of John’s selflessness?

Said Darren Murphy: “What I take away most from my mom and dad was they put everyone first and themselves last. They provided a foundation for us to be happy and successful. We didn’t have a lot of money, but we didn’t know it. I tell my kids today that a trip to McDonald’s was a treat. The greatest lesson is we never knew it, because we got what we needed. We didn’t question anything. He was such a strong presence that we never talked back. We knew our place, but it was out of respect, not fear. They wanted us to have a better life than they had and we did because of them. When my grandparents pushed a sort of European lifestyle or mentality on my dad and his sister, Mary, he was taken aback, because he was born in Detroit, served his country and believed in the American way, and that’s how we’ve all lived.”

His dad is also a man’s man.

When he got word that there was little to no chance of surviving his bout with cancer, those around him understandably were crying out of devastation.

The patriarch of the family would soon be gone.

But John Murphy was John Murphy to the end.

He told them they had a week to cry and then enough with this BS.

And his family followed his lead.

John lived a great life and gave everything he had to both his family and his country.

One of his last acts was to give his 27-year old grandson, Sean, his old Ford truck.

But John did so after giving Sean a speech on being responsible and taking care of the truck just a month before his death.

And how does Darren pay tribute to a man that taught and gave him everything?

He has a daily routine of walking 2-3 miles in the morning before school and ends his day walking or running two more, while listening to a playlist of about 65 of his father’s favorite songs. He calls it his ‘dad time.’

Quotable:

John’s wife of 57 years, Ilene Murphy: “John was always someone you could count on and trust. He was honest and loyal. With my upbringing – it was exactly what I needed at such a young age. Besides his pretty blue eyes, what attracted me to John was his drive to have a better life. He wanted a good life not just having a good time. I knew after a few dates, he was solid and dependable. He grew up with a loving father but NOT a dependable father. Hence he worked until he was 81 years old. He would never be comfortable money-wise and beyond dependable. He instilled family loyalty as it was on the top of his list. Each of my children have this in them, He was also good brother and a great uncle to his nephews as they lost their dad early on. He stepped in, but never over the line.  He was good to those that mattered to him, a good friend and always willing to lend a helping hand. Whether it was a good thing or not, He could discard you easily if you crossed him or hurt someone important to him. He had little patience for drama or trouble. He loved a good time at family parties, again, he valued family. I loved all those things about him and so much more. It is indescribable how much I miss him. His strength as he was my rock.  I just miss him and his love. He is the best decision in my life. Lastly, as a family, we really didn’t have challenges of a military life as he had completed his military life before being married. However, I will say, he was a proud Marine, and if you knew him, you knew this. His love and respect for those that serve is quite admirable. He loved this country, loved the 4th of July – great pride and was not afraid to let you know. The military shaped him to be the great man he was, it saved him and got him on the right road.”

John’s 57-year old son, Kevin: “My dad was my sports buddy. We cheered on the Detroit Lions and discussed the best athletes of all time. He was all about hard work. He used to say, it’s not always about the money you make, but also about the hours you put in. I miss Pops.  He was my best friend.”

John’s 55-year old daughter, Brenda: “Being the only girl, I hear all the time I must have been treated like a princess. Well, dad wasn’t the soft and mushy kind, he raised me to be strong and to speak up (maybe too much). I had to learn to play sports and love that lifestyle, just like my brothers. He has raised the bar in what kind of man I want or need.  He was the strongest man I know. The most dependable person ever – even if he wasn’t happy with us – we knew he was there for us. He instilled such family loyalty as his family was everything to him. He was a good brother, his nephews lost their dad early on and he stepped in but never over the line. He was a good friend, and would always help a friend in need. The lessons learned from dad: we certainly knew if he was unhappy, he didn’t sugarcoat, but this was a good thing. If you did wrong, own up to it and do the right thing. He had a lot of pride and integrity. He taught us that if you always work hard that good things will happen. He would not let us wallow in self pity, as he wanted us to learn the lesson and move on.”

Mt. SAC baseball coach & friend, John Knott: “Since I have known Darren Murphy, his teams have always been competitive, disciplined, and passionate. He has an ability to get them to play at a high level and rise to the occasion when called upon. His leadership skills have evolved over the years and really define him as a coach and person. He is an active Athletic Director and head coach, always looking to improve the school with positive mentors and coaches. He is actively involved as a member of the CIF committee, runs one of the largest pre-season tournaments, and makes sure each young man who plays in the program has a post high school plan when they leave. There have been several games where Darren and I have competed against one another. Regardless of the result (and there have been some heart-breaking moments) our relationship has been solid and friendly. He would always text me after the game regardless of the result to compliment my team and say what a great game both teams played.  I always found that to be respectful and humbling at the same time to develop a relationship outside of the game itself where there is mutual respect between both coaches.