Burlington High School is known for a lot of things when it comes to athletics.

Bracewell Stadium is dripping with history. Johannsen Gymnasium has been the site of many historic events since it opened in 1970.

On Monday afternoon, BHS became one of the first high schools in the state to have an awards board.

The awards board, mounted on the west side of the school near the brand new tennis courts, was formally dedicated in a brief ceremony Monday afternoon prior to the BHS girls tennis dual against Keokuk.

The event was emceed by former Burlington tennis great Brian Japsen II.

The board was dedicated in the memory of BHS tennis legend Randy Murphy and was unveiled with Murphy’s brother, Russ, his sister, Rita, and Randy’s widow, Shirley, all in attendance.

It was a special moment to honor Randy Murphy and the legacy of BHS tennis.

“The dedication ceremony was great,” Rita Murphy said. “I didn’t really play a lot of tennis with these two because I was 12 years younger. They taught me how to play when I got to be about five. Tennis has given me a lot of opportunities in life. Having them as big brothers was great. Playing in Burlington, we played at the Sterling Lord Courts where we only lived one block away. We lived there on the weekends. That’s what we did. We played a ton. I went through the tennis teaching program and played in college. It’s been a great sport for me.”

Shirley Murphy, like the rest of the family, made the trip from Arizona to attend the ceremony.

“This was really nice of Russ and Rita to get this all together. This was their plan. It looks better than I thought it would even. The pictures (on the board) came out so nice. A lot of people can be proud of their accomplishments,” Shirley Murphy said. “He loved tennis. He played tennis all his life, even the last few years. He took up a couple other things, too, but tennis was always his favorite.

“I told my son I think if he looked down from heaven now he would be really delighted. It would bring him great joy.”

Russ Murphy, who teamed with John Arledge to win the state doubles championship in 1963 and teamed with Tom Kindig to finish second at state doubles in 1964, recalls how competitive the sport was 60 years ago.

“In the 1960s we were winning every year. If we had been able to play both singles and doubles, we would have won a lot more. Randy got to the state finals as a freshman. He could never get through the district because they put Iowa City in our district and the best guy was from Iowa City. When he graduated, Randy made it to the finals that next year. John Arledge and I had to beat the Iowa City doubles guys twice to get to the finals,” Russ Murphy said. “When I was a senior, I was playing with Tommy Kindig, who was a sophomore. We got to the final, but lost. Tommy got to the finals two years later and won it. He got a lot better.”

For the Murphy family, tennis became a way of life. And it all started innocently enough.

“It’s been a great opportunity for all of us. It has opened lots of doors,” Rita Murphy said. “My Mom took my brothers down to where they had city lessons for free. That’s how it all started. They took them down there so they would have something to do. They really got good at it.”

Back in those days, tennis players had a multitude of courts to choose from.

“When we were in high school the courts were the Sterling Lord Courts next to Clark Field House,” Russ Murphy said. “When we first started we played at Perkins Park, Randy and I would get on our bikes and ride over there. John Arledge and one of his friends lived right across the street from there. That’s how we got good. Some adult members that used to play at Crapo Park would come by and pick us up and take us out there. That’s how we really got good. We had a lot of help.”

Seeing the new tennis courts and 31 girls on the BHS team was an eye-opening experience for the Murphys. They hope the new awards board will give more high school students something to not only take pride in, but something to strive for.

“In my day there were no girls sports period. We would have been lucky to have 10 players on our team,” Russ Murphy said. “It’s amazing. I can’t believe it. We never had any uniforms or billboards. We just had players. We were pretty good when Randy and I were playing. We had people behind us that were really good, too.”

“The facilities are so much improved. I love the purple and gray. It’s such a neat thing. We had very boring green courts when I played. Having this many girls is great. It’s great and hopefully they all have a good experience and learn great life skills from it,” Rita Murphy said. “I hope we see a lot more names up there and they keep adding to it. I believe they will.”