Glenn Murray

A successful lifelong career involving football, basketball and baseball has landed Glenn Murray a spot in the Clarendon County Athletic Hall of Fame.

“It’s a great honor,” Murray said. “Going in with these guys is definitely an honor. When things come about like this, you know you’re not forgotten.”

Murray was named as one of the 11 inaugural selections for the hall based on his athletic accomplishments that began with his career at Manning High School.

He was a three-sport athlete in basketball, football and baseball and was named all-conference in basketball and all-state in football and baseball.

Murray said his forte was football despite his success in the other sports.

He thought football would be the way he would gain the most success because it was his favorite and the sport he put most of his effort into.

He played three years at the varsity level under Head Coach Charlie Combs beginning in 1986. Murray played sparingly at running back and full back but mainly played free safety on defense.

“I loved offense, but I loved to hit people when I was on defense,” he said. “Defense was definitely my thing.”

Murray also left his mark on the hardwood.

He credits his coach, Gunter Sweat, for the success and experience he gained during his basketball career.

He is thankful for Sweat’s leadership and the knowledge he gained to succeed on and off the court.

“He was a very smart coach; he put you in a position to succeed,” Murray said. “That was the case with me. I played basketball because I liked it. Often times Coach Sweat had me at positions where I could succeed.”

Despite his success on the gridiron and the hardwood, most of Murray’s success came on the diamond.

He played baseball for the Monarchs and his career there sent him on to the next plateau.

Murray’s coach, Ricky Coker, took the team to several tryouts during his time at MHS and that is when he was first exposed to professional scouts.

He said that not only did he have to perform well in front of scouts, but he had to succeed on the diamond during the regular season as well.

A lot of his baseball success, Murray credits to Bill Brewer.

He said Brewer was a man who taught the game aside from Xs and Os.

“Everything came together all at the end,” he said. “I think Brewer taught us the mental part of the game. The mental part is just to have fun. That’s when my baseball really started coming into itself.”

In June 1989, Murray was exposed to the big leagues after being drafted by the Montreal Expos in the second round as the 40th overall pick.

“At the time, that was awesome,” he said. “As a kid, you get to go out there and play with the best of the best not only from the United States but from all over. Once I focused my mind on being a professional baseball player, it was that much easier and I had that much more fun. It was great and I wouldn’t trade it for a thing.”

Murray played in the minor leagues for seven years before joining the Philadelphia Phillies in 1996.

Murray played just a year in the majors that resulted in an injury to his wrist that required screws. He played 10 more years in the minors including a stint in Mexico.

“I’m a competitor and I’m going to do whatever it takes to stay in the game,” Murray said.

The wrist injury prevented him from getting back to 100 percent so he retired in 2006 from the Nashua Fisher Cats in New Hampshire.

Following his retirement, the organization honored him with a retirement ceremony and retired his Number 34.

During his professional career, Murray was named an All-Star 12 times and AAA Player of the Year in 1999 and 2004 and is the Atlantic League AAA all-time home run leader with 163.

During his overall career, including his time at Philadelphia, Murray hit 372 home runs.