AUBURN — For some time now, people have asked Anita Murphy when it was going to happen.

The longtime Lewiston tennis coach has been a staple in the community as a player and coach, and it seemed that her induction to the Auburn-Lewiston Sports Hall of Fame was inevitable.

“I didn’t think of it, but people kept saying, ‘You should be in the Hall,'” Murphy said. “I’d say, ‘In due time. I’m not going to get in until I’m done coaching.’ I guess they realized I’m going to be around for a while.”

Murphy’s time is now. She, along with three others, were introduced at Gipper’s Sports Grill on Friday as this year’s inductees. Val Brown Ackley, Norm Gagne and Jane Woodhead Jawor will join Murphy in the 30th A-L Hall of Fame class, which will officially be inducted at the organization’s banquet on Sunday, April 28.

Murphy has been active with the hall of fame for decades, as a member of the committee and as a chairperson.

“I”m just so thrilled to be getting into the hall of fame,” Murphy said. “I’m so humbled by it all.”

A graduate of Lewiston, Murphy has been coaching tennis there since 1979. Through last spring, her record was 416-61, including 12 Class A state titles and five second-place finishes. She’s also won four USTA state and New England titles with the Lewiston Smashers and been recognized with 10 President’s Awards by the A-L Hall of Fame. She’s also been named National Coach of the Year twice as well as the Maine Tennis Association Women’s High School Coach of the Year.

“I just wish that the girls could get recognized because they’re the ones that did all the work for me,” Murphy said. “They should get all the glory as I call it. Yet, I feel like I’m representing so many girls. Without the girls I had, I wouldn’t be here.”

It is the first time three women have been inducted into the hall in one year.

Ackley graduated from Edward Little in 1992 after being a three-sport athlete. She went on to play basketball at Assumption College. She returned to Maine and helped revitalize the Oxford Hills girls’ basketball program and then coached  Edward Little to a pair of Western A finals appearances. She was Miss Maine Basketball in 1992 and was the Maine Player of the Year in both soccer and basketball.

“I came back to this community to give back,” Ackley said. “I feel like this is just another way for me to be a model for the girls in our community. It’s nice to be recognized for your accolades.”

Brown, who chairs the Mathematics Department at Edward Little, has only been out of coaching for a few seasons  and wasn’t expecting news of her induction.

“I got a phone call from Coach (Fern) Masse,” Ackley said. “He wanted to be the first person to congratulate me. That meant a lot to me since he’s been a part of my life for a very long time. For Coach to call, it was very exciting, and I was humbled by the honor.”

Jawor graduated from Lewiston in 1986 and then the University of Tennessee. She set state track records while going undefeated in the javelin, discus and shot put. She was an All-American twice in college and won the Nike Indoor Nationals in the shot put. She also won in the Junior National Outdoor and was a member of the USA Junior Team in Europe and the Olympic Festival team. She coached track and field at Lewiston and has also been an assistant at Bates.

“I’m honored to be acknowledged by the people that helped lift me up in the first place,” Jawor said. “I wouldn’t have done as well as I did without the support of the community.”

She hadn’t put much thought into being inducted and was pleasantly surprised with the news.

“I was nervous and honored,” said Jawor. “It’s very exciting. I’m amongst great athletes and great people in the community.”

Gagne can’t look at the names already inducted into the Hall without finding a connection. That makes his inclusion that much more special.

“It’s really humbling to me,” he said. “I think it means so much because a lot of the coaches in the Hall were my coaches. They were who I looked up to and aspired to be.”

He mentioned Ray Storey, a coach in junior high. It was his son Peter, an EL grad, that was the athletic director at Gardiner when Gagne got out of college. He hired Gagne, giving him his first job.

“That when I started my coaching career,” said Gagne. “I spent 13 years there and started the hockey program.”

Gagne graduated from Edward Little in 1963 and was a three-sport athlete there. He’s been a longtime hockey coach in Maine at Waterville, Lewiston, Gorham and currently Scarborough. He is recognized as having the third-most wins among all high school hockey coaches in the nation. He had three state titles with the Tigers and three more at Waterville. He was named the Northern New England Coach of the Year three times and was a nominee for the American Hockey Coaches Association’s John  Mariucci Award.

Various Chamber of Commerce Awards will be presented at the banquet recognizing coaches Kevin Cullen (St. Dom’s golf), Lynnette Morency (Lewiston cheering); college seniors, Matt Harmon, Maria Labbe, James LePage, David Pless and Corey Therriault, and high school seniors Ashlee Arnold, Mohamed Barre, Kirsty Beauchesne, Mary Caron, Zack DeBlois, Will Desmarais, Abby Dunn, Connor Harris, Corbin Hyde, Quin Leary, Allarie Lever and Steven Patrie.

The Pioneer Award will be award to Frederick Hall Sr. while the Earl B. Austin Jr. Award will honor Pauline Bourgoin. The 1978 Lewiston boys and girls’ ski champions will be recognized with the Flasback to Fame Award.

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