For the better part of a decade, Ed Murphey was a force to be reckoned with on the track. In the mid 1950s, this lightning-speed UT track and cross country runner was virtually unbeatable.

Originally from Brownsville, Tennessee in Haywood County, Murphey enrolled at the University of Tennessee and earned a full track and field scholarship.

He was named an NCAA All American in 1956 as he set a school record in the 1,500 meter run (3.52) and was the fourth best collegiate miler that year.

This outstanding runner for the Vols set several additional records which stood the test of time. His mile record (4.16) run at Neyland Stadium (then ShieldsWatkins Field) was never broken in that venue.

Murphey also set the SEC mile record the following year with a time of 4:14. He set the 1956 SEC Cross Country record in Atlanta (21.21 for 4.4 miles) the same year he was team captain. Altogether, he won four SEC championships: three in the mile and one in the 1956 Cross Country Championship.

In 1956, Murphey became the first UT runner to be a finalist for the U.S Olympic track team. In that stellar year, he became mile champion and record-holder at the Georgia AAU Championships in Atlanta. He was also the first Tennessee runner to score points in the NCAA Track and Field Championships.

There have been many notable victories in Murphey's track career. In 1955, he had a first place finish at the 1955 Shamrock Cross Country Championship in Louisville among over 500 runners. He set mile records at the University of Kentucky, University of Alabama, Berea College, and at the SEC Championships at Legion Field in Birmingham (4:14). In addition, Murphey was the US. Marine Corps mile champion in 1958.

Murphey, the only NCAA All-American in any sport from Haywood County, was inducted into the Brownsville Sports Hall of Fame in 1994. He continues to keep the pace by competing in local Masters distance road races.

Murphey represented the State of Tennessee in the Senior Olympics in 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002; in 2002, he finished sixth nationally in the 800 meters. In 1998, Murphey was the Tennessee State Champion in the 800-meter run. He has run in the New York, Boston and US. Marine Corps marathons.

Murphey has lived and worked in Memphis for the last 45 years. He continues to support the track program of his alma mater by presenting the "Ed Murphey Award" to the university's outstanding trackman each year since 1965.