Alabama Softball Coach, Former Basketball Player to be Inducted in ASHOF

The Board of Directors of the State of Alabama Sports Hall of Fame announced on Thursday morning that Alabama softball head coach Patrick Murphy and former Bama basketball forward Keith Askins will be inducted into the hall in May 2022. They will be a part of the 54th class inducted into the ASHOF.

Each year, inductee classes are selected by a statewide selection committee. Murphy is one of eight being inducted this coming May, and he is the only one of the eight who is being inducted as a coach.

Murphy began his coaching career in 1990 as an assistant at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, and he was hired as an assistant at Alabama in 1996. He was then named the Crimson Tide's head coach in 1999. Murphy has been with the Alabama softball program since its creation, and has been responsible for its success in the past 22 years.

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Since taking over the program previous to the 1999 season, he has led the Tide to 21 consecutive NCAA tournaments, 12 World Series appearances, six SEC regular-season titles, four SEC Tournament titles, and a National Championship win in 2012. His team's 2012 national title win was the first in program and SEC history.

Murphy boasts a career record of 1,097-311 (.779) as Alabama head coach. The Crimson Tide has compiled a winning record in all 22 seasons with him at the helm. He also has a 419-152 (.734) career record in league play.

He will be inducted alongside former University of Alabama basketball player, Askins. Askins played as a forward for UA from 1986-87 and 1989-90. He was a member of three SEC Tournament champion teams and went to the sweet sixteen twice in his college career. He was named to the first-team All-SEC Tournament in the 1989 season. Askins is also the only basketball player to be inducted with the 2022 class.

In 1990, he was signed by the Miami Heat. Askins spent his entire career with the Heat as a reserve and defensive specialist until he was waived in 1999. Serving as team captain from 1995-99, he earned the team's leadership award in both the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons. He racked up a career total 1,852 points and 1,428 rebounds in those nine seasons.

After retiring, Askins joined the Heat's coaching staff as an assistant under Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra and was apart of three NBA title wins there. After 14 years, he was then promoted to be the team's director of college and pro scouting in 2013. Askins is still in the same role in 2021 and has been with the heat for a total of 30 seasons now as a player, coach, and executive.

The rest of the inductees for 2022 include former baseball players Doyle Alexander, Rusty Greer, and Jake Peavy and former football players Philip Rivers, Justin Tuck, and William Andrews.

The induction ceremony and banquet for the 54th class of the ASHOF will be held on May 7, 2022 in the Birmingham Ballroom, at the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel.