Funeral services set for football coach Gene Murphy

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A funeral mass for Gene Murphy, the former Cal State Fullerton and Fullerton College football coach who died Saturday in Los Angeles, will be held Monday at 11 a.m. at St. Juliana Falconieri Church (1316 N. Acacia) in Fullerton. Details regarding a reception will be available at the church.

Murphy, one of the most personable, engaging and quotable coaches in Orange County sports history, had undergone surgery for cancer of the esophagus last Tuesday and was recovering in the intensive care unit of USC University Hospital when he died Saturday. He was 72.

Murphy coached at Cal State Fullerton from 1980 until the program was discontinued in 1992. He led the Titans to two Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. championships and an 11-1 record and a top-20 national ranking in 1984.

He took over at Fullerton College in 1993 and remained there until 2007, still maintaining an office on campus as a consultant for the athletic department. He was inducted into Cal State Fullerton’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.

Murphy is survived by a 15-year-old daughter, Aileen, and her mother, Christine McCarthy, as well as two adult sons, Tim and Mike, and four grandchildren.

Information regarding donations made in Murphy’s memory will be available on the Fullerton College athletics website as soon as the information is available. ALSO:

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-- Mike DiGiovanna