ST. CATHARINES, Ont. - Former Brock University men's basketball coach Ken Murray has been named as the first General Manager / Head Coach of the Niagara River Lions, the newest member of the National Basketball League of Canada.

At Brock, Murray made a name for himself both as a player and a coach. Recruited from the United States, Murray came north of the border and attended Brock in 1972.

For five seasons, he was a standout player. He was named the team's most valuable player all five years, a four-time OUAA all-star and Brock Male Athlete of the Year in 1974-75. In 1978, his No. 50 was officially retired. He and hockey player Dave Burt became the first Brock athletes to have their numbers retired.

Murray was inducted into the Brock Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996 and Brock Basketball Hall of Fame in its inaugural year in 2009. He was inducted also into the St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame as an athlete and a builder in 2011.

Murray holds all-time firsts in five categories in the Brock record books, including career scoring average (24.1 PPG), career rebounding average (10.8 RPG), career field goals made (1251) single season scoring average (31.3 PPG - 1976-77) and single season rebounding average (17.1 RPG - 1976-77). He also ranks third all-time in both career points with 2,767 and career rebounds with 1,237.

During his 20 seasons as head coach, Murray led the Badgers to their first-ever Canadian championship in 1992, then to another national crown in 2008.

At 535 wins, he has the most victories of any coach in Brock history, and he was twice named Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Coach of the Year. He is also a two-time St. Catharines Sportsman of the Year recipient and received the Brock Alumni Award "Thirty from the Past 30" in 2007.