NEISD coach inspires those around him through two-year personal challenge

It was bright and early in the MacArthur High School gym as the boys’ basketball team practiced for their first game of the season which is just a few weeks away.

“We’ve got a great group of guys; our guys are pretty much hand-picked,” Mark Murphy said.

Murphy is the theirs head coach and has been at MacArthur for 26 years.

Previously, he worked as an assistant basketball coach and as the assistant director of admissions at Trinity University.

“I think education is obviously the key to success and we try to strive that with our players every single day,” he explained.

Murphy teaches his team to work hard on and off the court, by challenging themselves daily and setting personal goals, like the one he’s made for himself.

“I was like, you know what, I enjoy reading and I’m just going to come up with this idea of wanting to read 100 books,” he said.

He started this hundred-book challenge in the Spring of 2019 and since then has soared past the halfway mark.

“I’m on book 73 and I’m well on my goal to reaching 100. I read every single day, quite often during COVID-19. I read every single night as well,” Murphy added.

When asked how he finds the time to teach, coach and read, he said it’s all about making the time.

The total challenge should take him approximately two years to complete.

Murphy’s progress has garnered social media attention too as people have watched his progress documented over Twitter by MacArthur librarian Janelle Schnacker.

“I’ve had some students come up to me in P.E. class and say ‘Hey Coach, I saw you on the Twitter! You’re reading books now?’ I say yeah you should try it sometime and get away from that phone and those video games and pick up a book!”

Murphy said this was a personal challenge but he does hope that it inspires others to set their own goals and go for them.

“It was just a challenge I put for myself and I’ve stuck to it. I really enjoy reading. One of my favorite books is Lonesome Dove, that’s one of my all-time favorites by Larry McMurtry,” he said.

So, when Murphy’s not coaching, you’ll find him reading.

He is a true example of what it means to be a life-long learner.

“We want our players to be the best possible students they can. As long as they’re working hard, education is going to take them a great long distance.”

Because #NEISDcares!