By Andy MacDougall, News Correspondent
Very few people who pick up a sport do so for selfish reasons. It’s usually for the love of the game, or because they want to be a part of a team, or because as a child, their parents signed them up for it.
Not many people get involved with sports because they strive to leave a lasting legacy. With hard work and dedication, it’s sometimes just an unexpected, blessed result.
Which is why Northeastern field hockey head coach Cheryl Murtagh feels so humbled. Last Wednesday, after nearly 30 years in the coaching ranks, Murtagh was elected to the Zag Field Hockey/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Hall of Fame Class of 2012.
“I was in England with [associated head coach Kate Pfeifer], and we were recruiting when [NFHCA President Becca Main] called me and told me,” Murtagh said. “It’s truly an honor. … It’s nice when your peers [recognize you]. I think that’s why it’s an honor for me, but we’re in the season and I’m focused on that.”
The recognition comes amid one of Murtagh’s best seasons at the helm for Northeastern. Her Huskies are ranked No. 9 in the country by the NFHCA Poll at 7-2, they’re 5-2 against ranked opponents (including a win over then-No. 6 Virginia on Sept. 8) and her senior-laden club has the aspiration and desire that will be needed for a deep postseason run.
And the young women she coaches know this recognition is certainly a long time coming.
“I think it’s awesome,” senior forward Crystal Poland said. “She’s such a great coach. I think it’s great that she’s being recognized at the national level, not just here at Northeastern. … But she doesn’t like the limelight, and doesn’t want to take away from what our team is trying to do, which is a really admirable thing.”
Before her coaching days on Huntington Avenue, the Rowley native was a standout field hockey player at Bishop Fenwick High School in Peabody before a stellar career with the University of New Hampshire, where she was a two-time All-American in 1979 and 1980.
After graduating from UNH in 1981, Murtagh took over the head coaching position at Division II Bentley Universiry from 1982 to 1984. Following her two seasons with the Falcons, Murtagh accepted an assistant coaching position with Northeastern under her predecessor, Joan Broderick.
Murtagh took over the program when Broderick left before the 1988 season, and hasn’t looked back since. The second-longest tenured coach at Northeastern (behind baseball coach Neil McPhee), Murtagh has compiled a 340-184-10 record with the Huskies (357-199-13 career).
Her 357 wins puts her eighth all-time among Division I coaches, and along the way, she’s coached the Huskies to three NCAA Final Fours and fifteen tournament appearances. On the conference level, Murtagh coached the Huskies to 10 America East titles in her first 15 seasons. Northeastern has won at least one playoff game in 20 of her 24 postseason berths, but has yet to win a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) championship since joining the conference in 2005.
Conference foe Old Dominion University has 15 CAA titles to its name, but because they are leaving the conference after this season, is post-season ineligible. Last season, NU lost to ODU, 1-5, in the CAA Championship game.
“I’ve been [at Northeastern] so long because I’ve been treated so well, as a coach and as a person,” Murtagh said. “I’m just so grateful for Northeastern giving me the opportunity … to coach at a university where I feel supported and I feel we can win and also be close to my family. It’s just something I truly treasure, because not every coach can do that.”
Along with Murtagh, the class of 2012 will include the late Catherine Brown, former umpire and head coach at Ohio University and Linda Dirga, former coach at Pomperaug High School in Connecticut.
“It’s such a huge recognition, and she’s like, ‘Oh, yes, thank you, but our team is doing really well,’” Poland said.
A scheduling change has prompted this year’s induction class to coincide with the 2013 Annual Convention and the Class of 2013, which will occur next November.
