PROVIDENCE, R.I. – After 40 seasons and seven NCAA championships, Brown University’s longtime Loyalty Chair for Women’s Rowing John Murphy and Gratitude Chair Associate Head Coach Phoebe Murphy (38 seasons) have announced their retirement.
“Over four decades, John and Phoebe Murphy have had a profound impact on our campus and in the world of rowing,” said Mencoff, vice president of athletics and recreation. Dr. M. Grace Calhoun ’92 said. “Their athletic achievements are extraordinary, but they pale in comparison to the invaluable role they played in training generations of student-athletes who went on to live meaningful and successful lives. We couldn’t be more grateful for their leadership.”
The Murphys led Brown to 27 consecutive NCAA championship appearances, making it one of only three programs to participate in every NCAA postseason since its inception in 1997.
“Being part of the Brown Women’s Crew has been a big part of our lives, but now the time has come to step back and give others the chance to lead this incredible team,” said John and Phoebe Murphy said. “We will miss the great racing and all the extraordinary people we competed with and against who made our job so exciting. We will certainly look back, but we also look forward to cheering on future teams in their successes. We will miss the Boathouse, the Seekonk and, above all, all the Brown students we had the pleasure of coaching. We will always keep our fingers crossed for you.”
They added: “Our thanks go out to the decades of administrators, staff, alumni, parents and friends whose generosity and support have played a significant role in the development of this program. They have made many good things possible and are and will always be sincerely appreciated.”
Calhoun announced today that John Murphy is replaced by Tessa Gobbo ’13A 2024 member of the Brown Athletic Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medalist (2016 Rio Olympics), Gobbo has been an assistant coach for the Bears for the past three seasons and will be introduced later this week as the new Loyalty Chair for the women’s team.
The Bears have won seven NCAA championships. After winning the program’s first NCAA championship in 1999, the Murphys and the Bears won again in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2011 – an amazing streak of seven titles in 13 years. John Murphy is also a six-time winner of the EAWRC Coach of the Year award, taking home the honor in 1988, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2008. Phoebe was EAWRC Rookie Coach of the Year in 1999, 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2007 and Assistant Coach of the Year in 2010.
The Bears have won the Eastern Sprints Championship 12 times, including three consecutive times in 2022, 2023 and 2024. At the 2024 NCAA Championships, the Bears finished sixth as a team and the Varsity 8 finished fifth.
In 2022, the Bears became the first American team to win the Island Cup at Henley Royal Regatta in England.
In 2015, the Bears finished third at the NCAA Championships for the second year in a row. Brown won the inaugural Varsity Eights race and the team trophy at the 2015 Ivy Championship, earning his ninth all-time Ivy title and first since 2008. Murphy won the Ivy League Coach of the Year and CRCA Regional Coach of the Year awards. The Murphy squad competed in the Henley Women’s Regatta and Henley Royal Regatta in the summer of 2015.
The Bears won their third and fourth consecutive Ivy Team points trophies in 2016 and 2017.
Brown finished third at the 2014 NCAA Championships after winning a silver medal in the Varsity Eight race. The Bears swept the Ivy League competition during the regular season to secure the No. 1 spot nationally for the first time since 2007, a position the team held for five weeks. Brown won the team trophy at the Ivy Championship by earning the most total points and finishing second in the Varsity Eight race. The successful season earned Murphy his fourth CRCA New England Region Coach of the Year award and induction into the CRCA Hall of Fame.
In 2011, the Bears showed a true team effort, coming from behind to finish virtually tied with Stanford in the final. Thanks to Brown’s better finish in the Varsity Eight race (less than a second difference), the Bears, led by the Murphys, won their seventh national championship.
US Rowing recognized John Murphy with the Fan’s Choice Award for the 2011 National Collegiate Coach of the Year, which was presented at the inaugural Golden Oars Awards Dinner at the New York Athletic Club.
In 2008, the Bears easily won the NCAA team title by an impressive eight-point margin over second-place Washington. The second varsity eight was led by Bruno and won a gold medal with a time of 6:42, more than two seconds ahead of the next boat. The varsity eight and varsity four each took bronze, illustrating Brown’s depth and team approach. The combination was enough to give the Bears 67 points, well ahead of the rest of the field.
At the 2007 NCAA Championships in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, all three of Bruno’s teams made the finals, capturing their fifth NCAA title in 10 years. Following the season, Murphy led the team to a semifinal appearance at the Henley Royal Regatta in London, England. To cap off the successful 2007 season, one of Murphy’s student-athletes was named to the first team of the District I ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Team.
In 2004, the second varsity eight went undefeated as Brown took first place in both the varsity and second varsity eight races at the national championships in Gold River, California. Brown finished the 2002 season undefeated in the regular season and finished with a record of 10-1, earning his third national title. In 2001, the Bears took third place at the NCAA Championships at Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia. The team posted an overall record of 11-1 and won its fourth consecutive Eastern Championship at the Cooper River in Pennsauken, New Jersey
In 2000, Murphy was named the CRCA’s Division I Rowing Coach of the Year after his team won its second consecutive NCAA championship with victories in the Varsity and Second Varsity races at Cooper River. In addition to their second consecutive NCAA title, the Bears won the Eastern Sprints title and an Ivy League championship in 2000. In 1999, Murphy led his team to the first NCAA Division I championship in Brown University history after they defeated the University of Virginia by three seconds at the NCAA Championships at Lake Natoma in Gold River, California. The Bears also won the Eastern Sprints and Ivy championships, setting a new course record in the process.
Murphy coached the women’s team at the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta in London in 1998. In 1997, he led the team to a third-place finish at the inaugural NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships on Lake Natoma in Gold River, California. That year, his varsity foursome won the first gold medals ever awarded at the NCAA Championships. After finishing the 1996 season undefeated, Coach Murphy’s team became the first women’s team to win the “Triple Crown” of collegiate racing – the Eastern Sprints, the IRAs and the National Collegiate Rowing Championship. Murphy coached his team to back-to-back IRA Championships in 1993 and 1994.
The Bears also won an EAWRC team championship in 1990 and captured the Charles G. Willing trophy after winning gold medals on the first and second team. Coach Murphy was named EAWRC Coach of the Year in 1988 after his team won the Women’s Eastern Sprints Championship for the first time in Brown history. Murphy began his coaching career at Cal-Berkeley in 1976, where he was in charge of the men’s novice team. He continued to coach the men’s novice team in 1977 and 1978.
In 1979-80, Murphy coached the women’s freshman team at the University of Washington. The first freshman eight went undefeated in the Pac-10 and won the West Coast Championship. Murphy returned to Cal-Berkeley in 1980 to coach the women’s freshman team and won the Pac-10 West Coast Championship in 1981. His 1982 and 1983 teams won silver medals and his 1984 team was undefeated national champions.
John and Phoebe have three children, Jack ’11, Penelope and the late Patrick D. Murphy, and reside in Barrington, RI
Murphy’s career awards
- NCAA Division I National Coach of the Year: 2000, 2004
- EAWRC Trainer of the Year: 1988, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2008
- CRCA National Coach of the Year: 2000, 2004, 2008
- CRCA Regional Coach of the Year: 2000, 2002, 2008, 2014, 2015
- Ivy League Coach of the Year: 2015
- Words Unlimited Trainer of the Year: 1999
- Words Unlimited Co-Coach of the Year (with Phoebe): 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011
- CRCA Hall of Fame (with Phoebe): 2014
- US Rowing Ernestine Bayer Award for significant contributions to women’s rowing: 2007
- Duffy Dwyer Memorial Award: 2004
- Words Unlimited Team of the Year: 2004
- Award for outstanding athletic achievements in university sports: 2002, 2004
- US Rowing Golden Oars National College Coach of the Year: 2011
Murphy’s career highlights
- Nine Ivy League championships: 1988, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2008, 2015
- Four Ivy League team championships (Ivy Championship Era): 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
- 10 Eastern Varsity Eight Championships: 1988, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2008, 2022, 2023, 2024
- 12 East team championships: 1990, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2022, 2023, 2024
- Three IRA Championships: 1993, 1994, 1996
- One national college championship: 1996
- Seven NCAA National Championships: 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2011
- Two-time NCAA Division I National Coach of the Year (2000, 2004)
