Chad Murray joined the Pacific Lutheran University staff in April of 2017 as the head men's basketball coach.
Murray has built the Lutes into a regional power, helping the Lutes win a share of the Northwest Conference title during the 2021-2022 season, the program's first league crown since the 1986 season. His Lutes have had five consecutive winning seasons heading into the 2024-2025 campaign, the first time that's been done since Bruce Haroldson's squads from 1994-1999.
Under his direction, Lutes have been named All-NWC 12 times while and earned CSC Academic All-District honors 12 times. Lutes have twice earned All-West Region honors under Murray's tenure while the squad has earned NABC Academic Honors three times in his career, including after the 2023-2024 season.
Pacific Lutheran finished the 2021-2022 season with an 18-8 overall record and a 13-3 mark in conference play, earning a share of the Northwest Conference title. That included a 10-1 record inside Olson Gymnasium. Murray was named the NWC Coach of the Year in 2022 while Seth Hall was named the NWC Player of the Year. Hall was additionally named an NABC All-American, CoSIDA Academic All-District, All-West Region, and participated in the NABC All-Star Game.
Under Murray's direction, the Lutes had a breakout season in the COVID shortened 2020-2021 campaign. Pacific Lutheran began the season with the program's best start since 1960-61, knocking off seventh-ranked Whitworth during that run. The Lutes closed the season 7-3 with a 5-1 record inside Olson Gymnasium. Seth Hall finished the season as an All-West Region selection while Hall and Jordan Thomas both earned CoSIDA Academic All-District accolades.
Murray guided the Lutes back to the postseason in 2019-2020, finishing the season with a 14-12 record and a 10-6 mark in NWC play. It was the Lutes' first appearance in the NWC Tournament since the 2015-16 season and the most wins in league play since the 2010-2011 campaign. Three Lutes earned All-Conference accolades, including Leighton Kingma landing first team honors. In addition to success on the court, the Lutes gave back to the community, completing a fundraiser for COVID-19 relief in the spring while earning the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award with six PLU student-athletes landing NABC Honors Court recognition.
During the 2018-2019 the Lutes doubled their win total from the previous season with Leighton Kingma ending the season as an All-Conference selection. After the season Murray led the Lutes on a 12-day international tour of Australia, playing three games against local competition, winning two of the three.
Murray joined the Lutes after serving as head coach at Division III Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa for eight seasons. Murray led the Rams to a 12-12 record and a 10-8 mark in Midwest Conference play in 2016-2017, advancing to the semifinals of the MWC Tournament. Murray finished 15-11 in his debut season with the Rams back in 2009-2010, setting a school record for wins by a first-year coach. In his eight years at the helm, Cornell produced four 1,000-point scorers and seven All-Conference honorees, along with five Honorable Mention All-Conference selections.
Prior to his stint at Cornell, Murray accrued eight years of experience at the Division III level as an assistant coach with stops at North Central College (2004-2009), Vassar College (2002-2004), and Nebraska Wesleyan University (2001-2002).
Murray served as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator at North Central for five seasons, helping the Cardinals compile a 79-51 record after posting just one winning season in the previous 16 years. His efforts included the program's first ever College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament title in 2005-2006 and the program's first NCAA Tournament bid since 1990. His final season in 2008-2009 saw the Cardinals post a 16-10 record, qualifying for the CCIW Tournament for the third time in four years.
No stranger to the Pacific Northwest, Murray played two seasons at Umpqua Community College in Roseberg, Oregon, leading the team in rebounds while finishing as the third-leading scorer. He went on to graduate from Chapman University (Calif.) in 1998 with a degree in film and television. Murray received his master's degree in education from Capella University (Minn.) in 2005.
