Former UA greats honored with mural

TUSCALOOSA | Patrick Murphy doesn’t need a scrapbook anymore.

All the head coach of the University of Alabama softball team has to do now when he wants to relive fond memories from the program’s history is go to work and look at the outfield wall at the Alabama Softball Complex. A wall covering in the form of a crimson-and-white mural with the images of some of the greatest players in UA softball history has been installed, adding a dash of color and panache to the Crimson Tide’s home stadium.

Alabama, ranked fourth in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Preseason Top 25, will also debut a new, larger scoreboard on Friday when the Tide opens its season at 3 p.m. against South Alabama in the Bama Bash tournament.

“It brings up so many great memories from when we started and where we are now,” Murphy said. “In terms of our history we hadn’t done anything like that. Hopefully it will be an intimidation factor as well.”

Images along the wall depict former UA players Suzanne Olcott, Jackie McClain, Shelley Laird, Ginger Jones, Stephanie VanBrakle, Staci Ramsey, Christy Kyle, Ashley Courtney, Kelly Kretschman and Lacy Prejean, as well as Murphy and the 2006 Southeastern Conference Tournament championship team.

“Courtney saw it Saturday. She was thrilled,” Murphy said. “Suzy [Olcott] brought her child and mom and husband. They were amazed. Ginger’s seen a photo. Shelley Laird saw a photo. They both said they were honored to be included. Lacy said her mom will definitely cry when she sees it.”

Prejean returned to UA in the fall as the program’s director of softball operations and watched the wall come to life as it was installed.

“You can go to any other school in the country and they don’t have pictures of their All-American and All-SEC players on the wall like that,” Prejean said. “I just take it as an honor that the coaching staff would continue to improve the facility and honor the alumni.”

Prejean also takes care of her likeness.

“I went out a couple of times with a rag and wiped my face down,” she said.

Murphy had been brainstorming for ways to recognize some of the accomplishments in the program’s 11 previous seasons, including four trips to the Women’s College World Series. He also knew the outfield wall pads needed to be refurbished or replaced. When the idea of the mural came up, he found the new covering would be more appealing and less costly.

“This was a great solution,” he said. “Each pad was wallpapered with this material and this material is as strong and as durable as a new pad.”

The mural has already been tested.

“One day in practice it was very, very cold and we hit a couple of line drives right off it,” Murphy said. “I was scared to death we might pop it because it was so cold, but it held up.”

Current players are as excited as the ones from Alabama’s past.

“I just feel honored to be able to even stand in that wall’s presence,” outfielder Brittany Rogers said. “It inspires me as a player not just because I want my picture up there but because of what the program has become over the years, to see the people who were here before me.”

Said infielder Lauren Parker, “The impression is indescribable. It makes you just stand there in awe of it. The color is awesome. When you put that crimson and bleed it out and put the A’s up there, it just adds so much more character.

“When people come into our stadium they’re going to be like, ‘Wow, that is amazing.’ Hopefully we can reflect that with our play.”

While Murphy knew the outfield wall mural was coming, the scoreboard was a surprise. The coaching staff found out about it last fall.

“I honestly don’t know how that came up,” Murphy said. “I couldn’t believe it. We really didn’t know what we were getting until we saw them putting the whole thing up. I know there is a video board but I’m not sure what all it’s going to be able to do. It’s much bigger. In the SEC it definitely would be tops.

“For one year we were so lucky to get both items. It’s been a great facility to begin with. It’s got great sight lines in a great setting. All the seats are great. You add the fence and the scoreboard and now it has raised the bar considerably.”

Reach Tommy Deas at tommy.deas@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0224.