Saint Francis University Athletics Hall of Fame
Lenny Murray was the consummate swing man who moved seemingly effortlessly in and around the basket, handling the ball, rebounding it, shooting it while defenders bothered themselves with the likes of a Norm Van Lier and Larry Lewis inside.
Spanning coach Skip Hughes’ final years at the helm and the arrival of coach John Clark, Murray lent a veteran presence to Saint Francis’ emerging powerhouse teams of the late 1960s. A professional of the first order and a rare competitor, it was not in him to give anything less than his best.
A double-digit scorer for all but one of his four years, he reached the zenith of his career during the 1967-68 campaign where he averaged 16.3 points and nearly 10 rebounds when Saint Francis compiled a 19-6 record. He was a key component in Clark’s overplay, full-court pressure defense where his long arms and 6’7” frame could deflect passes and teammate Bill Snodgrass credits his play his senior year for much of the program’s success.
No self-promoter on or off the floor, Murray’s contributions may have gone unnoticed to some but his fingerprints were all over the unfolding drama that was Saint Francis basketball during his time at the college.
