TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Washburn Hall of Fame basketball player Ryan Murphy has died. He was 45.
According to Washburn Athletics, Murphy passed away on Wednesday, July 9. Murphy graduated from Washburn in 2005 and was inducted into the Ichabod Hall of Fame in 2016.
“Washburn athletics and the Ichabod family are sad to hear of Ryan Murphy’s passing. Murph was one of the all-time greats to put on an Ichabod uniform and for as good as the WU Hall of Famer was on the court he was an even better person off the court. He never met a stranger, had a smile and a laugh that would light up a room. Our condolences to his family and his wife Lisa and their daughter Anna.”
Murphy was a member of Washburn’s basketball team from 1999 to 2003. He finished his career third in all-time points with 1,654 and fourth in all-time rebounds with 738. Murphy was a first team all-MIAA pick in 2003 as a senior after receiving second team all-MIAA honors in 2002 as a junior and 2001 as a sophomore. He was an honorable mention all-MIAA pick in 2000 as a freshman.
He was part of three NCAA Tournament teams including national runner-up finish in 2001. Murphy is the Washburn Ichabod record holder with 132 career NCAA tournament points as well as 154 MIAA Tournament points.
Murphy is also one of 11 Ichabods with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds and was named the Ichabod team MVP as a senior. He connected on 108 of 281 3-pointers and was an 80% free throw shooter hitting 338-of-419 attempts. Murphy averaged six rebounds a game for his career and his ranked in the top-10 in 13 career categories at Washburn. He was inducted into the Washburn Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.
Very sad to hear that we lost a member of the Ichabod Basketball Family today. Ryan Murphy was a great husband, father & friend. He was a warrior on the court & one of the all-time WU greats. He will be missed by so many. Rest easy big fella. pic.twitter.com/TCw7EXjyRg
— Brett Ballard (@CoachBBallard) July 9, 2025
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