I didn’t know who Terry Murphy was until recently. Unfortunately, when his name was brought to my attention it was due to his passing, at age 77. Murphy, it turns out, was quite the character. He was a businessman, publisher, and, in an odd twist of fate, one of the most impactful figures in basketball, not just in Dallas but across the globe.
In 1986, Murphy founded a three-on-three basketball tournament in Dallas called Hoop-D-Do. It was based, largely, on the Gus Macker 3-on-3 Tournament from Michigan. The inaugural Hoop-D-Do tournament, held in Dallas’ West End, drew 481 teams to compete in the downtown district.