Ethan Sands, Monroe News-Star
Wed, February 9, 2022, 1:17 PM
Freddie Murray knows plenty about HBCUs and athletics. He grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, in the shadows of Jackson State.
And it was common during that time in the 1970s that some of the best Black athletes had no choice but to play at HBCUs. He would also attend football games, including as a college student at Jackson State, where the average attendance was 45,000.
Football coach Deion Sanders has taken his alma mater seemingly to new heights in a short amount of time, but Murray wants to remind a younger generation this is nothing new.
"It didn't just start with Deion Sanders, we got to make that known," said Murray, now in his sixth season as women's basketball coach at Grambling State. "The future or the present is just a recurrence of the past. All the best athletes were at HBCUs because we couldn't go anywhere else. Deion is just bringing it back. I think Deion is doing a great job of bringing a light back to HBCUs."
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Sanders was able to get the No. 1 player in the class of 2022, Travis Hunter, to flip his commitment from Florida State to Jackson State. Players across the country have been reconsidering the importance of playing at a HBCU under coaches who have connections to the NFL.
"People get caught into the flash into the the bells and whistles of what you can get gone to some of the bigger schools, but again, that day is starting to change and a lot of things then what our society has bring about more of a light back to the HBCUs," said Murray. "I'm thankful that people are really starting to give us a chance because this is a lot more than just athletics.
"I've experienced just as much success at an HBCU than I probably would have done at a Power Five. But again, those are the stories that don't get told."
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Grambling State women's basketball coach Freddie Murray hoists 2018 SWAC Tournament championship trophy.
Grambling State women's basketball coach Freddie Murray hoists 2018 SWAC Tournament championship trophy.
Impromptu flight led to coaching career
So how did Murray get to Grambling? It all began with an impromptu flight that jolted him into the coaching sphere.
Murray graduated from Jackson State in 2000 and became a middle school AAU basketball coach. Murray returned to Jackson State as a graduate assistant under women's coach Denise Taylor, helping him gain experience.
After his two-year stint as a graduate assistant ended at Jackson State, Murray found himself working for Delta in Atlanta and US Airways in Jackson, but his heart kept drawing him back to coaching.
In 2002, on the way home from an interview at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Murray got in contact with former North Carolina A&T coach Saudia Roundtree. Murray was eager for an opportunity. Using the perks from his airline job, Murray booked a life-changing flight to Greensboro and was hired for Roundtree's coaching staff.
"I told (Roundtree) that I'd fly there the next day," said Murray, who was an assistant with the Aggies from 2002-05 and again from 2007-09. "This was how eager I was to get on with their program. When I went there, I fell in love with the campus and fell in love with the city, and I knew Saudi Roundtree would be a great person to coach under and learn from."
Murray made a mentor and lifelong friend in Alabama A&M coach Larry McNeil. McNeill remembers that Murray was different from the other graduate assistants. Even when Murray would do something wrong or poorly, he wouldn't get frustrated or angry; there would be a hunger to get better and learn from his mistakes.
"We sat there and I said, 'Fred, this is not good,' and instead of getting angry, he sat down and said, 'Now show me and let's go over it,' " McNeil said. "That's what I thought that set Fred so much apart. Fred wanted to learn, and I think that conversation with Fred made us closer than ever, and we've been close from that point to today."
From Jackson State to North Carolina A&T, Murray ended up in Louisiana as an assistant coach from 2005-07 for Carol Sensely at McNeese State.
"In visiting with him, I knew he was very knowledgeable, and coach Murray is a hard worker," said Sensely. "Just a good person that you want to, that you want to have on your staff, or that you want to keep close that truly cares about the kids."
Sensely resigned in January 2007 due to medical reasons, thrusting Murray into the role of interim head coach.
"He just stepped right in and assumed that position as the head women's basketball coach and actually went on and completed the season and did extremely well," Sensely said. "I felt very confident that he was the person and would do a good job with taking the reigns."
McNeese hired a new coach and Murray was looking for work . Patricia-Cage Bibbs, who started her coaching career at Grambling and was later inducted in the school's Hall of Fame, was in her third year at North Carolina A&T and was need of an assistant. Murray was her first call.
The timing was right for Murray. In 2008-09, Bibbs guided the Aggies to their first postseason appearance in 15 seasons, losing to Florida State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The next season, the Aggies became the first HBCU women’s team to win two consecutive games in postseason play before losing in the WNIT Sweet 16.
A return to Grambling
Murray moved on to Florida A&M from 2010-15 and again was looking for work. Bibbs recommended Murray to Nadine Domond, who had been at Grambling for one season.
Domond left after the season to join the staff at Rutgers, leaving Murray as the interim head coach.
Murray was promoted and in his first season the Tigers made their first postseason appearance since 2000, earning a bid to the WNIT. Grambling defeated Ole Miss in the opener, marking the first time a SWAC school won a postseason game.
The next season, GSU won the SWAC Tournament for the first time since 1999 after finishing the regular season as the third seed. The Tigers advanced to the NCAA Tournament and lost to No. 2 Baylor in the first round.
Hill's greatest accomplishment in coaching has been his connection to his athletes and his ability to get them to believe in themselves, in doing so, believing in him.
"Coach Murray is a very spiritual person, very good person, hard worker and I could rely on him," said Bibbs, who was inducted into Grambling's Hall of Fame in 2008 said. "He's going to work with his kids, he's gonna try to help them in every way that he can, and I can't see a player not working hard for Coach Murray, I can't see that."
