Dale Murphy was drafted in the 1974 amateur draft by the Atlanta Braves; he was the fifth overall pick. Murphy tried to break into the big leagues as a catcher and first baseman, but neither position suited him.

Murphy found his calling so to speak in centerfield where he remained for almost the duration of his career. Murphy along with the legendary Hank Aaron are consider Mr. Brave amongst Atlanta Braves fans because of their contributions to the club.

Although Murphy won five consecutive Gold Gloves in a row (82-86), he along with teammate Bob Horner were known for their bats. Murphy was known for crushing balls out of the ball park at Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium. Murphy's best years as a Brave were in his back-to-back MVP years in 1982 and 1983. In both those years, Murphy had 36 homeruns and over 100 RBI's. http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/murphda05.shtml But most of Murphy's contribution to the game is largely unrecognized because how bad those Braves' teams were back in those days.

Murphy's Braves only the made the playoffs once during his tenure and that was against the 1982 eventual World Series Champions, the St. Louis Cardinals. Murphy did not get a chance to enjoy the Braves resurgence in the 1990's because he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies where he played for two years (90-92). By then Murphy’s skills in the outfield and at the plate were starting to diminish. One of the most weird moments for Murphy in a Phillies uniform was when Braves pitcher Tom Glavine was ordered by manager Bobby Cox to throw at the beloved Murphy after Philies pitcher Roger Mcdowell hit Otis Nixon (ironically McDowell is the Braves pitching coach). Glavine did what he was asked to do (reluctantly though he didn’t hit Murphy) and was thrown out of the game.ttp://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=crasnick_jerry&id=2832758 Murphy would play one more year before retiring with the Colorado Rockies in 1993.http://www.basebal

You would think Dale Murphy's biggest accomplishment would be his play on the field, but no, Murphy's biggest accomplishment is his humanitarian efforts off the field. Murphy earned the reputation as being one of the good guys of baseball.

Murphy spent most of his time off the field giving to charities such as: Co-chairman of the Braves' "65 Roses Club" for Cystic Fibrosis research, chairman of the Atlanta chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, member of the national board of the Huntington's Disease Society of America, spokesman for the Georgia March-of-Dimes, the American Heart Association, the Georgia PTA, the Arthritis Foundation and the Atlanta school district's drive to encourage reading and summer school enrollment. http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/murphda05.php

Murphy also chairs a couple of his own foundations that encourage young people not to cheat while playing sports.

Murphy is so beloved by Braves fans that when they found out he was traded to the Phillies, some were so outraged that they threaten to never to come back again. http://www.thebaseballpage.com/players/murphda05.php

Murphy would be replaced by newcomer David Justice who wasn't as beloved by the fans as Murphy. Murphy contributions on and off the field is still felt by the city of Atlanta so much so that in 1994, Murphy's familiar number 3 jersey was retired in a ceremony. An honor well deserved for a player who brought heart, class, and talent to the Atlanta Braves.