Mike Murray enters his first season as head coach of Elmhurst University football in 2023.
An experienced coach, Murray has mentored two D3 Football All-Americans, 16 First Team and 100 All-CCIW honorees and two CCIW Defensive Player of the Year recipients, and has won seven CCIW championships over 40 years of coaching.
Murray most recently served as the associate head coach/defensive coordinator at Roosevelt University (formerly Robert Morris University), a position he held since 2018. Last season, Murray helped the Lakers to a 7-3 overall record and their highest ranking in the NAIA Football Coaches Poll since 2017 (No. 15). Murray’s defense ranked 20th in the NAIA in points per game (17.2), while nine members of his defense earned MSFA All-Midwest League honors.
Prior to coaching at Roosevelt/Robert Morris, Murray served as the defensive coordinator at North Central College for five seasons. Murray helped the Cardinals to a 49-9 overall record and a trio of CCIW Championships in 2013, 2016 and 2017. Murray coached two D3 Football All-Americans in his time at North Central, and led his players to 16 First Team All-CCIW selections, including the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year in the conference.
Murray is a 1984 graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University, where he lettered all four years in both football and baseball, earning All-CCIW Honorable Mention honors in football in 1983 and all-conference honors in baseball in both 1983 and 1984.
Murray got his start in coaching at his alma mater, serving as the Titans’ defensive coordinator for 10 seasons, from 1987-96. His players garnered 66 All-CCIW selections and he coached the league’s co-Defensive Player of the Year in 1987. He also earned his first two CCIW championships with the Titans in 1992 and 1996.
After stops as a head coach at University of Dubuque (1997-2000) and Benedictine University (Ill.) from 2001-02, Murray returned to Illinois Wesleyan to serve as the Titans’ offensive coordinator. After two seasons on the offensive side of the ball, Murray transitioned into the defensive coordinator position at Illinois Wesleyan while also serving as the program’s recruiting coordinator. In his second stint at his alma mater, Murray led 18 players to all-conference honors and garnered a pair of CCIW championships, in 2007 and 2009.
Murray also served as a coach for the Bloomington Extreme of the Indoor Football League twice, once as the team’s offensive coordinator in 2005 and as the head coach of the club from 2011-12. While in Bloomington, Murray also served as director of the Redbird 4 Life Club at Illinois State University.
In addition to his football coaching duties, Murray has previously served as the head coach for Illinois Wesleyan’s track and field and men’s golf programs from 1987-96 and the head men’s golf coach at North Central in 2014-15.
Murray currently resides in Lake Zurich, Ill., with his wife, Anne. He is the father to four children: Laura (Alex) Kashner, Amanda (Kenny) Ginger, David, and Bryan; and is the proud grandfather to Addison, Molly, Paige Kashner and Will Ginger.
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