Murphy & Allen Among Six Inducted Into Titan Hall of Fame

One is arguably the greatest player to ever wear a Cal State Fullerton Titan Football uniform. The other is the patriarch and the face of a football program that accomplished conference championships and national rankings. Both will be inducted into Cal State Fullerton’s Athletics Hall of Fame at a Titan Tribute on Oct. 10, 2009. Of course we are speaking of the incomparable former Titan Quarterback Damon Allen and former Head Football Coach Gene Murphy.

Murphy and Allen will be joined by four other Titan alumni, Connie Clark (Softball), Bruce Bowen (Men’s Basketball), Barbie Myslak-Roetert (Gymnastics) and Dan Boone (Baseball) to comprise the Hall’s third class of inductees. All six are scheduled to attend the biennial function. Allen and Murphy join Mark Collins and Phil Nevin as the third and fourth members of the hall of Fame to represent the suspended Titan Football program. Both Nevin and Collins were inducted into the Cal State Fullerton Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007.

Damon Allen was a four-year quarterback (1981-84) and three-year pitcher (1983-85) at Cal State Fullerton. He led the football team to its only two conference (Pacific Coast Athletic Association) championships in 1983 and 1984, earning votes as a senior for the Heisman Trophy and setting an NCAA record for fewest pass interceptions in a season (.009 intercepted). He ranks No. 1 at CSF in passes attempted (629) and total offense (4,653 yards). He is No. 2 in passing yards (4,218) and pass completions (322) and No. 4 in TD passes (27).

Allen went on to become the most prolific passer in professional football history with 72,381 total yards in 23 seasons (1985 to 2007) in the Canadian Football League, surpassing Warren Moon’s 70,553 yards (21,228 in the CFL and 49,325 in the NFL). Allen also rushed for 11,920 yards to rank No. 3 in CFL history. He won four Grey Cup Championships and won the league’s MVP Award as a 41-year-old grandfather in 2005.

Allen also was a member of the Titans’ 1984 national championship baseball team as a spot starter and relief pitcher with a record of 3-2 with 4 saves in 50 innings. He was drafted in 1984 by the Detroit Tigers, who pursued him until the first day of Fall classes. In 1994 he had a brief tryout with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Coach Gene Murphy was the face of Titan football for its final 13 seasons (1980-1992). Despite having no home stadium until the final year and very little in the way of resources, he built a program that in a span of seven years (1983-89) won consecutive conference championships (1983 and 1984) and finished in second place four times. He led the Titans to their only bowl appearance — the 1983 California Bowl in Fresno vs. Northern Illinois — and his 1984 team was 11-1 on the field (12-0 after a forfeit from UNLV) and was ranked in the national Top 20. His career record was 59-89-1 — 31-19 at home and 28-70-1 on the road.

Murphy had a knack for hiring brilliant young assistant coaches who served the Titans well before advancing in their careers. His legacy includes two future NFL head coaches (Steve Mariucci and Tom Cable) and numerous NFL and major college coordinators and assistants.

Murphy also was popular with his players on a personal level, showing true concern for their extended families and children. He had great rapport with the Fullerton and Orange County communities and developed long-lasting support groups. After the Titan program was suspended, he became head coach at Fullerton College in 1993 and continued in that role through his recent retirement.

Ticket information will be available on Aug. 1. Please check the official Cal State Fullerton Athletics web page for details and for more information on the other four 2009 inductees.