Murphy, Calvin J.
Basketball
b. May 9, 1948, Norwalk, CT
After averaging an eye-opening 48.9 points a game for the Niagara University freshman team, the 5-foot-9, 165-pound Murphy became a three-year starter for the varsity, averaging 33.1 points, fourth best in NCAA Division I history.
Because of his size, he wasn't chosen until the second round of the 1970 NBA draft, by the San Diego Rockets, who moved to Houston in 1971-72. Very quick, Murphy was an excellent outside shot and an outstanding free throw shooter. He was named to the league's all-rookie team after averaging 15.8 points a game in 1970-71.
Murphy averaged 20.4 points a game in 1973-74, the first of five seasons in which his average was above 20 points. His finest season was 1977-78, when he averaged 25.6 points a game. Murphy led the NBA in free throw shooting percentage with .958 in 1980-81, an NBA record, and .920 in 1982-83, his last season as a player.
In 1976-77, Murphy moved to shooting guard, as rookie John Lucas took over the point. The addition of Moses Malone at center later in the season made the Rockets a playoff contender. In Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals, Malone was out because of a stomach ailment and the Rockets depended on Murphy to do most of their scoring. He came through with 42 points to lead the team into the finals against the Kansas City Kings. The Rockets also won that series, but lost to the Boston Celtics in the NBA championship series.
Murphy retired after the 1982-83 season. In 1989, he was hired by the Rockets as a shooting coach and community services advisor. He has also worked as a television analyst for Houston's games.
His career free throw percentage of .892 is second only to Rick Barry in NBA history. In 1,002 regular season games, Murphy scored 17,949 points, an average of 17.9 per game, and had 4,402 assists and 1,165 steals. He added 945 points, 213 assists, and 79 steals in 51 playoff games.