Murray High School (Kentucky)
This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2008) |
Murray High School | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Address | |
![]() | |
1800 Sycamore Street , 42071 United States | |
Coordinates | 36°36′04″N 88°19′54″W / 36.6011°N 88.3318°W |
Information | |
Type | Public |
Motto | "Once a Tiger always a Tiger" |
Established | 1872 |
School district | Murray Independent School District |
Superintendent | Coy Samons |
Principal | Tony Jarvis |
Faculty | 30.52 (FTE)[1] |
Grades | 9 to 12 |
Enrollment | 474 (2018–19)[1] |
Student to teacher ratio | 15.53[1] |
Campus | Small city |
Color(s) | Black and Traditional Gold [2] |
Slogan | Tradition, Pride, Excellence |
Athletics | 14 varsity teams |
Athletics conference | KHSAA |
Mascot | Tigers |
Nickname | Tigers and Lady Tigers[2] |
Website | www.murray.kyschools.us/mhs/home.asp |
Murray High School is a public high school located in Murray, Kentucky, United States. Currently, the school is on Sycamore Street, but from 1872 to 1971 it was located at 801 Main Street, in the building now used for Murray Middle School.
Extracurricular activities
Athletics
The Murray High Lady Tiger Basketball team is currently the most successful sport at the school. During former head coach Rechelle Turner's 21-year tenure from 1997 to 2017, the team had unprecedented success. Perhaps the most notable accomplishments of the Lady Tigers are their two back to back KHSAA Final Four appearances in 2016 and 2017, along with a Class A state championship in 2016 and 2018. Additionally, the Lady Tigers were Region 1 champions in 1997, 2010, 2016, and 2017. Turner is now the head women's basketball coach at NCAA Division I Murray State University.
Murray's football team is well known across Kentucky to be one of the best in Class AA. Murray High School had undefeated regular seasons in 2009 and 2010. The program has reached the third or fourth round of KHSAA Class AA Playoffs each year from 2009 to 2014. Prior to moving to Class AA, Murray High School won the Class A state championship in 1961 and 1974.
The Murray girls' track and field team won the KHSAA Class A state championship in 2016 and 2017.
- Archery
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cheerleading
- Cross country
- Dance
- Football
- Golf
- Marching Band
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming
- Tennis
- Track and field
- Volleyball-Ladies
Murray Tiger Band
Murray High School's band has arguably been the most successful activity at the school. The marching band has won two BOA Grand National Class A Championships in 1977 and 2021, as well as four KMEA state championships in 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2023. The band has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City, Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, and Walt Disney World in Florida. The Murray Tiger Band is currently under the direction of Tim Zeiss.[3]
Accomplishments
- BOA Grand National Champion - 1977
- BOA Class A National Champion - 2021
- KMEA State Champion
- KMEA 2nd Place
- Class A - 1997, 2009, 2013, 2015
- Class AA - 2007, 2019
- Class AAA - 2022
- KMEA 3rd Place
- Class A - 1987, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016
- KMEA 4th Place
- Class AA - 2001
- KMEA State Finalist - 1987, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
- KMEA West Regional Champion
- Class A - 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
- Class AA - 2001, 2004, 2007, 2019
- Class AAA - 2021, 2022, 2023
- BOA Class A Super Regional Champion (Indianapolis) - 2016
- BOA Class A Super Regional Champion (St. Louis) - 2006
- Murray State Festival of Champions Grand Champion - 1976, 1977, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
- Murray State Festival of Champions Reserve Grand Champion - 1978, 1979, 2002, 2005, 2011
- MTSU Contest of Champions Finalist - 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979
Notable performances
- Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade - 1980
- Orange Bowl Parade - 1975, 1977
Notable alumni
- Shane Andrus, football placekicker[6]
- Gordon Cooper, Mercury-Atlas 9 astronaut[7]
- Tim Masthay, punter for the Green Bay Packers[8]
- Mel Purcell, tennis player[9]
- Molly Sims, model and actress[10]
Historical timeline
- 1872: Community leaders raise money to build the Murray Male and Female Institute, recognized as "the finest school in the Jackson Purchase"
- 1900: The Institute catches fire (in "some unaccountable way," according to a contemporary account) and burns to the ground. The new "Murray Graded School Building" is built with state funds. It houses grades 1–12 in the Murray Independent School District. However, this second school building catches fire in 1919 during the Christmas break and also burns to the ground. It is believed that the fire was caused by students smoking and gambling in the boiler room.
- 1922: A new three-story schoolhouse is completed. It includes an auditorium, a large library, and several classrooms.
- 1930: The west wing, with several classrooms, a gymnasium and locker rooms, a home economics lab, and an unfinished third floor, is added onto the building.
- 1939: Ty Holland Stadium is built by Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps and named for the Murray City School's highly respected teacher and coach.
- 1953: With the construction of Austin Elementary (named for A.B. Austin, long-time member of the Murray Board of Education), the Murray school building becomes Murray High School.
- 1958: The "Band and Manual Arts" building is added onto the Murray High campus to house band, music, and industrial arts.
- 1971: The new Murray High School is built on Doran Road, and the school system is reorganized to include four years of elementary school, five years of middle school, and four years of high school.
References
- ^ a b c "Murray High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
- ^ a b "Murray High School High School Directory Entry - (# 197)". Directory of Member Schools. Kentucky High School Athletic Association. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
- ^ "MHS Band Director Named 2020 1st District KMEA Teacher Of The Year". www.murray.kyschools.us. 18 September 2019. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
- ^ "Murray High School Tiger band wins state championship". WPSD Local 6. 29 Oct 2017. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
- ^ Wright, John (29 Oct 2018). "Twice is nice; Tiger Band defends state title by rising from the mat". Murray Ledger and Times. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
- ^ "2021 Murray State Hall of Fame Reveal – Shane Andrus". Murray State University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
- ^ "Leroy G. Cooper Jr". New Mexico Museum of Space History. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
- ^ "Model Welcomes New Men's Head Soccer Coach, Tim Masthay!". model.eku.edu. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
- ^ "Mel Purcell - Women's Tennis Coach". Murray State University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
- ^ Taylor, Kristen (9 July 2007). "Molly Sims secure in her Murray roots". Murray Ledger and Times. Retrieved 2021-07-24.