FLORENCE -– As a kid growing up in North Alabama, my Major League Baseball team was, of course, the Atlanta Braves. I remember meeting second baseman Glenn Hubbard at Lang’s Sporting Goods in Muscle Shoals. I remember the light blue uniforms and Chris Chambliss and Bob Horner and Rafael Ramirez and Pascual Perez and Claudell Washington.
But most of all, I remember Dale Murphy.
We all wanted to be Dale Murphy during our backyard baseball games. So imagine my surprise when I learned that Murphy will be at the University of North Alabama this summer.
The Braves legend will be the keynote speaker at the Lions Athletic Club annual Lion Pride Dinner and Auction on Aug. 7.
The event will take place at the Renaissance Shoals Conference Center at 5 p.m. Speakers will discuss UNA programs, a silent auction will take place, and Murphy’s keynote address will be followed by a Q&A session.
Sponsorship and meet-and-greet packages for the event are available. Tables of eight are on sale for $1,240 each, while individual tickets will go on sale in the summer, if any tickets are left. For more information, contact Megan Dye at 256-765-4615 or [email protected].
The event is sponsored by the UNA Foundation.
“As president of the UNA Lions Athletic Club, we are honored to bring a man and an athlete of Dale Murphy’s stature to the Shoals,” said LAC President Johnny Simpson. “His performance as a professional baseball player, benevolence in all aspects and a dedicated family man denotes his status as a true gentleman.
“I encourage the citizens of the Shoals to see him in August.”
This will be the fifth straight year the event will be at Renaissance Shoals Conference Center. Past keynote speakers include Pete Rose in 2021, Bill Walton in 2022, Archie Manning in 2023, and Steve Spurrier in 2024. The last two events, featuring Manning and Spurrier, sold out.
Murphy was taken by the Braves in the first round of the 1974 draft, playing for Atlanta until 1991. He was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies and played there until 1993, when he signed with the Colorado Rockies. He retired from baseball on May 27, 1993, at the age of 37.
Murphy was the youngest player in MLB history to win back-to-back MVP awards (1982 and 1983). He won 2 consecutive NL Player of the Year Awards (The Sporting News, 1982, 1983) and was named to the NL All-Star Team seven times, including five as a starter.
In 1983, he became the sixth player in Major League history to have at least 30 home runs (36) and 30 stolen bases (30) in one season, joining the “30-30 Club.” His number, 3, was the fourth in the history of the Atlanta Braves’ organization to be retired.
Dale and his wife of 46 years, Nancy, are the parents of eight children and grandparents to 20. His family, faith in God, and off-field accomplishments are what he says he treasures the most.
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