Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 12/15/16
From Press Release
Marist men’s lacrosse senior captain Jimmy Murphy (Hatboro-Horsham) will wear no. 34 for the duration of the 2017 season in honor of the late Edward Coombs. Murphy will be the third player in program history to wear no. 34 for a full season, joining Dave Scarcello ’15 and Joseph Radin ’16.
Jimmy Murphy holds the No. 34 uniform with Mr. Eric and Tina Coombs (Photo courtesy of Marist Lacrosse)
Edward’s parents, Eric and Tina Coombs, presented Murphy with the jersey following a Marist team meeting Dec. 11. The recipient of the jersey each year is the senior who best represents the outstanding characteristics that Eddie Coombs showed every day: passion, determination, energy, and a great teammate and member of community. Eddie passed away in a car accident in 2011 just before his sophomore year at Marist and was a well-respected member of the college community by staff and students.
Murphy started all 16 games at defensive midfield and led Marist with 41 ground balls last season. In two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship contests he picked up eight ground balls and caused two turnovers.
Hailing from Horsham, Pennsylvania, the same hometown as the Coombs family, Murphy was the lone freshman on the varsity squad at Hatboro-Horsham High School when Eddie Coombs was a senior on the team in 2010. Murphy was his team’s leading scorer with 45 goals and 11 assists for a total of 56 points and was named Offensive MVP in his junior season with the Hatters. He led the team to the Suburban One Continental Championship.
Click here to see video on Eddie Coombs and the meaning of uniform No. 34
For the first time ever the Marist men’s and women’s lacrosse programs hosted the Edward Taylor Coombs Fall Lacrosse Tournament on Oct. 16 in Tenney Stadium. The tournament had taken place at Hatboro-Horsham High School for the past four years.
The event is held annually to honor Coombs and support the Edward Taylor Coombs Foundation, which honors student-athletes who exemplify Eddie’s same strong character, provides outstanding scholar-athletes financial assistance to pursue their higher education goals so they can reach their full potential, and works with high school students around the issues of responsible decision making through seminars, forums, videos, and other education programs