He is the former head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team.
He was Utah's head coach from 1997–2004, before he was hired as an assistant at Arizona State prior to the 2005 season.
Following the 2009 season, Murphy was forced to resign due to violations of NCAA rules regarding student-athlete employment and recruiting.
After leading the Sun Devils to the 2010 College World Series, Arizona State removed the "interim" tag from his title and formally named him the fourth head coach of the varsity era.
As a result of Murphy's violations, the NCAA imposed sanctions on the program, including a ban from the postseason in 2012.