St. Joe’s alumni Jamie Moyer ’85 and Muffet McGraw ’77 stood beside Philadelphia sports greats Allen Iverson and Brian Westbrook as they became members of the 2018 Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame on Nov. 1.
Moyer was one of the few players that was inducted for his performance both collegiately and professionally in the city of Philadelphia. He pitched for the Hawks from 1983 – 1985 and as part of his storied 25 year Major League Baseball career, Moyer helped to bring a World Series Championship to Philadelphia in 2008 as a pitcher for the Phillies.
Moyer currently holds the St. Joe’s record for strikeouts and is the only player in St. Joe’s baseball program history to have his number retired.
McGraw has also had a storied professional career, highlighted by success in the national spotlight. She began her basketball career at St. Joe’s, where she played in the inaugural years of the women’s basketball program from 1973 -1977. She helped garner the women’s highest ranking in program history, third in the 1977 AP poll .
McGraw returned to St. Joe’s as an assistant coach in 1980. She was introduced as University of Notre Dame women’s basketball head coach in 1987 and is now entering her 32nd year in South Bend.
McGraw has accumulated a long list of awards and records in her 31 years of coaching, most notably a three-time consensus National Coach of the Year. She is also a two-time NCAA National Championship winner, including last year’s victory over Mississippi State
Both alumni emphasized the importance St. Joe’s had on their later success.
“I think going to St. Joe’s was such a great decision for me,” McGraw said. “That basketball success that we had really catapulted me into coaching. I loved playing at St. Joe’s and that’s why I got into coaching in the first place.”
The Sugarhouse Casino was packed with members of Hawk Hill, including former Director of Athletics Don Dijulia and current Director of Athletics Jill Bodensteiner, who worked with McGraw at Notre Dame for 20 years. St. Joe’s had the most representatives in this year’s inductee class, and Moyer made a point of emphasizing the bond that St. Joe’s has created.
“I had the great fortune out of high school to go to St. Joe’s University and it was always about family,” Moyer said. “St. Joseph’s [is] being represented here tonight, that’s my family.”
McGraw, who has called Notre Dame home for the last three decades, said she has never forgotten her roots in the city of Philadelphia.
“I love Philly,” Mcgraw said. “Everybody knows about Philly in South Bend because that’s all I talk about. I love coming back here, we came back and played at St. Joe’s, played at the Palestra last year and it’s awesome.”
Moyer was also quick to point out the importance of community and what it meant to bring a World Series Championship to the city he calls home.
“It’s really cool to be able to make an impact on the community,” Moyer said. “I don’t look at it as an individual thing, I look at it as a group thing. It’s great to be able to do something like [win a World Series] for me in my hometown.”
McGraw went on to emphasize this sentiment in her induction speech, and recognized her time at St. Joe’s as a turning point in her life.
“To my fellow Hawk Jamie Moyer, congratulations,” McGraw said. “I’ve been at Notre Dame for over 30 years but when people ask me where I’m from, I’m quick to say I’m proud to say I’m from Philly. Whenever I come back here it always feels like home. Life is a series of choices and I’ve been fortunate to make some good ones. The first really good choice I made was going to St. Joe’s.”
Following Moyer’s speech, master of ceremonies Pat Williams lead the Hawk heavy crowd in chanting “The Hawk will never die.”
