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| Chad Murray coached at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa for eight seasons. Photo by Ryan Coleman, d3photography.com |
Pacific Lutheran University athletic director Laurie Turner announced Chad Murray as the Lutes' next head men's basketball coach. He replaces Jim Dickerson who retired at the end of last season.
"Under Chad's leadership, I look forward to seeing men's basketball continue to be a top tier program in the Northwest Conference," said Turner in a University release. "With Chad's breadth of experience serving as both an assistant and head coach at Division III programs, as well as his West Coast ties, will allow him to hit the ground running."
Murray coached Cornell to a 12-12 record, including a 10-8 mark in the Midwest Conference (MWC) and a MWC tournament semifinal appearance. Murray spent eight seasons at Cornell during which he went 71-121 with the Rams. His best season in Mount Vernon, Iowa came in 2009-10 when the Rams went 15-11.
"I'd like to thank Laurie Turner and all the members of the search committee for showing their faith in me to lead the men's basketball program at PLU into the future," said Murray. "My family and I are very excited to relocate to the Pacific Northwest and begin to connect with the current players, members of the athletic department, and the campus community."
Murray played Division III basketballl at Chapman after playing two seasons at Umpqua Community College in Roseberg, Oregon. Before becoming Cornell's head coach, he was also an assistant at North Central (Ill.), Vassar and Nebraska Wesleyan. Murray served as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator under Todd Raridon at North Central for five seasons, helping the Cardinals compile a 79-51 record after posting just one winning season in the previous 16 years.
Murray replaces Steve Dickerson who retired at the end of last season after going 116-153 in 11 seasons as the Lutes' head coach. Pacific Lutheran finished 12-13, 7-9 in the NWC last season.