BILOXI, Miss. � Bo McMurphy, majority owner of the Mississippi Sea Wolves of the ECHL announced today that he has resigned as team president, while remaining as team governor and a member of the ECHL Board of Governors Executive Committee. Bob Woods, Sea Wolves head coach for the past three seasons, has also been named general manager effective immediately.
McMurphy has spent the past two seasons as the majority owner, president and governor of Wolf Pack, LLC, owners of the Sea Wolves. He was a key component in the Sea Wolves Face-Off Against Kids� Cancer, which has raised more than $120,000 in its first two years for Caps For Kids and Candlelighters, two pediatric cancer charities on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Actively involved in numerous civic and youth organizations, McMurphy is president of the Delta Youth Hockey League and has coached in the Junior Sea Wolves Ice Program over the past six years. McMurphy serves on the board of directors and is a past president of the South Mississippi Inline Hockey League, which is sanctioned by both USA Hockey and the AAU.
�Our ownership group said two years ago that our plan was to make Bob Woods our general manager,� said McMurphy. �Our intention all along has been to keep hockey in Mississippi. We wanted to learn the business side of hockey and make Bob�s transition easier. Bob is well respected in the community and across the league and it�s a natural progression for him to move into this position.�
Woods enters his fourth season as head coach and seventh year with the Mississippi Sea Wolves organization. In three seasons behind the Sea Wolves bench, the 36-year-old Woods is 130-70-16 for a .639 winning percentage and the team has finished no lower than second place in the division during the regular season under his guidance. Mississippi has made the playoffs in each of the three seasons with Woods as head coach, making it to the Conference Finals in 2001 and 2002. A native of LeRoy, Saskatchewan, Woods, who is also alternate governor, spent three seasons as a player/assistant coach with the Sea Wolves from 1998-2001, and in 1999 helped Mississippi capture the Kelly Cup Championship. Woods scored 176 points (60g-116a) in 209 games with the Sea Wolves, who retired his uniform number 8 on October 13, 2002.
�I want to thank Bo McMurphy along with the entire Sea Wolves ownership group for providing me this opportunity,� Woods said. �It�s going to be challenging but it�s a good situation to step into and build on the strides made over the past two years. Our attendance went up last season, our season ticket base increased and the team has done a terrific job giving back to the communities of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I care about this team and I want to see it succeed.�
Sea Wolves season tickets are on sale for 2004-05 starting at $290 per seat for adults and $220 for each child. Reserve your seat with a $25 deposit by calling (228) 275-WOLF.
Sponsorship packages for all types of businesses are available by calling (228) 388-6151.
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