AUM News
Jack Waters and Jody Murphy were hired to the positions of assistant men's basketball coach and head athletic trainer at AUM.
Jack Waters and Jody Murphy were hired to the positions of assistant men's basketball coach and head athletic trainer at AUM.
Men's Basketball - Mon. Aug. 23, 2010
MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Auburn University at Montgomery head men's basketball coach Larry Chapman announced the hiring of Jack Waters as the assistant coach of the Senators' men's basketball program.
 
Waters replaces long-time assistant coach Nigel Card on Chapman's staff, which now has more than 65 years of coaching experience combined and an extensive resume. Waters was inducted into the University of Mississippi Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990 and named to the University of Mississippi All-Century Team in 2009. He is also one of the five founders of the NCAA Sunbelt Conference.
 
"Jack Waters is a treasure, and we are fortunate to have a man with so much to offer," said Chapman. "All I expect him to bring to our program is what he does naturally."
 
Waters has coaching experience at four different levels, having coached at the prep, NAIA, and NCAA Division I and Division II levels. Among the team's he has worked with are the University of Mississippi, Georgia State University and Georgia Tech University.

Prior to coming to AUM, Waters was a head coach at the high school and middle school level for 18 years in the Atlanta area. While coaching at Tucker High School, his boy's team advanced to five consecutive State AAA Basketball Tournaments and had an overall record of 140-34 during his eight years.

Waters played at the University of Mississippi, where he was named a third-team All-American. He also played professionally with the Kansas City Steers and the Cincinnati Royals before entering his coaching career.

Waters and his wife Cindy have three children, Jack, Kendra and Kimberly, and one grandson, Harrison.

"I happy to be here at AUM, and after 33 years of coaching at different levels, to be able to come to a programs like AUM is a great opportunity," said Waters. "The things that Coach Chapman has been able to do here in the last 30 years is unbelievable, and he's already won 700 games. I just hope I'll be able to assist him in any way and contribute to the team making their goals this season."

In addition, Director of Athletics Steve Crotz announced the hiring of Jody Murphy as the head athletic trainer for the University's eight varsity sports.

Murphy joins the AUM family from Saint Andrews Presbyterian College of North Carolina, where she served as the head athletic trainer since 2005.

"Jody Murphy brings a wealth of experience to AUM as our new athletic trainer," Crotz said. "While hitting the ground running, she has placed the welfare of our student-athletes as her top priority and has already established a great rapport with our coaches and players."

During her tenure at St. Andrews, Murphy helped oversee the coverage of all 21 NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletic teams, a job which included supervision of all phases of health care for more than 200 student-athletes.

Prior to SAPC, Murphy worked four years at Spectrum Rehabilitation of Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she served as a certified athletic trainer and worked closely with the Mother of Mercy High School athletics department. She has extensive experience in the athletic training arena with over 15 years of experience on her resume including clinics, labs, professional teams, medical institutes, and camps.

Murphy graduated from the University of Akron with a B.S. Education in Sports Medicine/Athletic Training and later added a Master's Degree in Adult Education and Distance Learning from the University of Phoenix in 2006.

Murphy is a certified member of the National Athletic Trainers Association and is licensed in the states of Alabama and North Carolina. She is also certified in CPR through the American Heart Association and is a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association. A native of Akron, Ohio, Murphy currently resides in Montgomery, Ala.

"I'm excited to be a part of the staff at Auburn Montgomery and I'm very appreciative of the confidence Steve Crotz has in me to head the athletic training program," said Murphy. "I look forward to continuing the excellence in athletic training that was established by former trainer Jeff Ruffin."