Forty Seasons, Still Serving
When Patrice Murray ’82, ’89M was inducted into the Monmouth University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011, she joked about her days as a three-sport standout: “I don’t know if I’m a basketball player who plays tennis or a tennis player who plays basketball.”
That line speaks to the balance that has defined Murray’s life and career. She’s always worn multiple hats, first as a student-athlete balancing basketball, tennis, and softball, and later as a full-time educator and longtime head coach. Her ability to achieve that balance, combined with her enduring love of sport, has fueled her remarkable staying power through 40 seasons with the Hawks.
Finding Her Place Courtside
After graduating from Monmouth in 1982, Murray began teaching at Oak Hill Academy, a private school in Lincroft, New Jersey. While teaching had been her calling since childhood, she still craved competition and got her fix by coaching high school basketball—until the perfect opportunity came along: a full-time opening for head women’s tennis coach at Monmouth.
“My career at Oak Hill Academy is very important to me, and I knew I could still do that and coach tennis … and it just turned into 40 seasons,” says Murray, who took over the team in 1985.
Over the past four decades, Murray has seen the sport, the University, and the NCAA landscape change. When she began coaching, Monmouth had just earned NCAA Division I status and was competing in the Northeast Conference (NEC). The Hawks then transitioned to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and, in 2022, entered the Coastal Athletic Association, where, Murray says, the “level of play has increased.”
Despite rising competition, Monmouth has continued to produce standout seasons and student-athletes. Murray’s teams captured back-to-back NEC consolation titles in 2008 and 2009, posted a 44–22–1 stretch from 1999 to 2002—the winningest four-year run in program history—and have earned NCAA Academic Progress Rate recognition for nine straight years, ranking among the top Division I programs nationwide for academic success.
Proud of her players for the way they balance school and sport, Murray says some of her most memorable moments came last spring. In February, the Hawks traveled to the University of California, Irvine, marking the first time in program history they’d traveled past Pittsburgh. Two months later, Monmouth upset Villanova, 4–3, in what Murray called “probably the biggest win of my career.”
But for Murray, success has never been measured solely in wins and losses. What she values most are the relationships she’s built with her players and the lessons she hopes they’ll carry beyond the court.
“It’s such a privilege for these athletes to go to a great university, get a great education, and play a sport they love,” says Murray. “The experiences they have here help shape them into well-rounded people, and that’s what means the most to me … seeing our alumni out in the world doing well, happy in their careers, and still looking back at their time at Monmouth with fond memories.”
Beyond the Court
Murray continues to split her time between Monmouth and Oak Hill, where she serves as director of personnel and administration. She also runs the school’s Veterans Day Program, an annual event she started in 2001 following 9/11, which has grown into a meaningful schoolwide tribute to military service.
In 2023, the Daughters of the American Revolution recognized Murray with the Ellen Hardin Walworth Medal for Patriotism for her work running the program.
From her Hall of Fame induction to the 2014 dedication of the Patrice Murray Tennis House on campus, Murray’s legacy at Monmouth is firmly in place. But when she reflects on the past four decades, it isn’t the milestones or accolades that stand out most—it’s the people, the lessons, and the chance to keep doing what she loves.
“You never stop learning. Every year brings different players, different personalities, and that’s what keeps it exciting. I still love it just as much as I did when I started,” she says.