NJCAA Men's Basketball Coaches Association Announces 2009 Hall of Fame Class
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Dec. 16, 2008) - The 2009 class of the NJCAA Men's Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame has been announced by the NJCAA. This year's inductees include three long-time coaches in William Finn, Mike Leatherwood and Lewis Orr, along with 1962 First-Team All-American William Murrell.
Since its inception in 1984, a total of 118 coaches, players and special contributors have been inducted into the hall. Orr, Leatherwood and Murrell will be honored at the 2009 NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan., on March 17, while Finn will be recognized at the 2009 NJCAA Division II Men's Tournament in Danville, Ill., on March 18.
Willie Vernon Murrell
Player
Eastern Oklahoma State College
One of the most dynamic NJCAA players of his era, Murrell was a 1962 First-Team NJCAA All-American after averaging 24.9 points and 12.7 rebounds a game as a sophomore for Eastern Oklahoma State College. He was also a First-Team All Region 2 selection in 1962.
As a freshman he averaged 24.4 points and 10.9 rebounds a game and earned First-Team All-Region honors while leading Eastern Oklahoma to the NJCAA National Tournament where they placed third. Murrell was the tournament's leading scorer with 135 points, which ranks seventh in tournament history.
He continued his basketball career at Kansas State University where he averaged 20.6 points per game on 45.9 percent shooting to go along with 10.7 rebounds per game in his two seasons with the Wildcats. Murrell is one of just 20 players in KSU history to score 1,000 points and one of just three players - Mitch Richmond and Curtis Redding being the others - to do it in just two seasons. He ranks fourth in career scoring average, 20.6 ppg, and 12th in career points scored, 1,112. His 648 points and 22.3 points per game average in 1964 ranks fifth all-time at K-State. He was awarded the school's prestigious Porky Morgan Most Inspirational Player Award in 1964.
Murrell was a First-Team 1964 Helms Foundation All-American and a Second-Team Converse Yearbook All-American while also twice being named a First-Team All-Big Eight selection. He was also participated in the 1964 NABC East/West All-Star Game. Murrell was selected by the then St. Louis Hawks in the fourth round (31st overall) of the 1964 NBA Draft and played in the ABA from 1967-70 for the Denver Rockets, Miami Floridians and Kentucky Colonels. 
William Finn
Coach
Moraine Valley Community College (Ill.)
In 23 seasons as athletic director and men's head basketball coach at Moraine Valley, William Finn amassed a 506-210 overall record and his teams won 20 or more games 20 times. He led Moraine Valley to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament four times, finishing in the top four twice. His 506 wins ranks 45th all-time for NJCAA inactive coaches.
He has been awarded the Illinois Region 4 Section 3 Coach of the Year six times, Skyway Conference Coach of the Year five times, North Central Community College Conference Coach of the Year five times, Illinois Region 4 Coach of the Year four times and Illinois Basketball Coaches Association DII Coach of the Year four times. He also has been selected to coach in the Illinois Junior College All-Star game five times.
In the last five years he has been inducted into the Skyway Conference of Illinois Hall of Fame (2005), the NJCAA Region 4 Hall of Fame (2004) and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame (2003).
Since stepping down as head basketball coach, Finn remains the athletic director at Moraine Valley and is now the head coach for both the men's and women's tennis teams.
Mike Leatherwood
Player and Coach
Pensacola Junior College (Fla.), Indian River State College (Fla.)
Leatherwood is currently the all-time leader in victories for Florida two-year college basketball with 678 wins in 36 seasons at the helm of Indian River State College. He ranks fifth in wins among active NJCAA head coaches and was a 2005 inductee into the Florida Community Activities Association Hall of Fame. In 1992 he was inducted into the Florida Community College Basketball Hall of Fame.
He was a great collegiate basketball player, leading Pensacola Junior College in scoring for two years and was named First-Team All-Region in 1967. He was then a member of a University of Florida squad that made the program's first-ever post-season appearance in the NIT in 1969. He led the Gators in assists in both of his two seasons and set a Florida record of 14 assists in one game and 129 assists in a season (both records have since been broken). He also was named a 1969 Academic All-American and was honored with the Spurgeon Cheery Award, which is given each year to the outstanding Physical Education graduate at Florida.
In 1970, at the age of 22, he began his coaching career at Indian River and became the youngest head coach in the NJCAA. In his first season he led his team to a 22-9 record.
In 36 seasons he led Indian River to 20 state tournament appearances, 13 Southern Conference titles, 11 Southern Conference tournament championships, two Region 8 championship finals appearances and one Region 8 title in 1975. He has coached 84 all-conference, 28 all-state and five All-American players.
He has received Southern Conference Coach of the Year honors 13 times and was Florida Community College Coach of the Year in 1975. 
Lewis Orr
Coach
Lon Morris College (Texas), Navarro College (Texas)
A 37-year NJCAA veteran coach, Orr amassed an overall head coaching record of 678-421 while leading Lon Morris College (five years) and Navarro College (32 years). He is the third winningest coach in Texas two-year college basketball behind Trinity Valley Community College's Leon Spencer (809) and Tyler Junior College's Floyd Wagstaff (743).
His 678 wins ranks 16th all-time in NJCAA history among inactive coaches. During his 37 years his teams won or shared six conference titles and reached the Region 14 and conference tournament 21 times. His 1978-79 Navarro squad was ranked No. 1 in the nation, winning 25 consecutive games and fell short to eventual national champion Western Texas College coached by Nolan Richardson.
In 1990, his Navarro team was the highest scoring team in the NJCAA averaging 116 points a game.
Orr's teams averaged 18 wins a season and finished above .500 in 25 out of 37 seasons.