New Britain, CT Sports Hall of Fame
Joe Murphy
Joe was one of the best shooters New Britain High basketball ever produced. In 1952 the existing single game scoring record, 33 points, was held by the great Marty Reisner. Joe tied it on a january night in which a Torrington Register sportswriter said "the captain of the New Britain High School basketball quintet put on one of the greatest one-man exhibitions ever seen at the local armory Saturday night as he led his team to a 52-48 win over Torrington High."
Also a football and baseball standout Murphy won a scholarship to Gonzaga where he also starred on both the diamond and the basketball court.
After serving in the US Army from 1954-56 and nearly earning a major league baseball contract with three flawless innings during a tryout with the St. Louis Cardinals, Murphy returned home and continued his stellar athletic career.
He played semi-pro baseball locally for the Falcons and the Pioneers and basketball with the Manafort Wreckers.
Inductees By Year