The story behind an Upstate New York native working on a project to recognize the impact of the Hall of Fame coach.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Ask artist Chris Murray what his favorite passions are, and the answer will be in this order. First, it’s art, and then, it’s basketball. Now, he’s looking to blend both of those together to honor a Syracuse Orange legend and the long-time coach of the men’s basketball team.
Murray is currently spearheading an effort to recognize and honor Jim Boeheim, who coached the Orange for nearly 50 years, built up the Syracuse men’s basketball program into what it became and impacted the lives of an entire community. The art project — titled The Jim Boeheim Syracuse “Legacy” Mural — would be a four-story painted mural that will be located in downtown Syracuse at 215 W. Fayette St.
Speaking about the project, Murray had one sentiment that he mentioned repeatedly: this is more than just a sports mural.
“I wanted it to encapsulate that feeling we all had at some point as a kid in our our youth, our adulthood, when you have something to look forward to,” Murray said. “Being an Upstate New York kid, I know how grim times can be up there… and not having something to look forward to can make life a lot more tougher. With Jim, the teams he coached and me watching him as a kid, he gave me something to look forward to, whether it was weekday game or a weekend game.”
Murray was born in Norfolk, a small town which sits right below Canada’s border and 149 miles north of Syracuse. Even that far away from campus, Murray said when he was growing up, Syracuse basketball was “everything.” Like many Syracuse fans, Murray’s heroes who once graced the Dome floor are familiar faces, from John Wallace and Derrick Coleman to Lawrence Moten, Carmelo Anthony and Sherman Douglas.
The graduate of RIT in Rochester now lives in Philadelphia, where he has made a living as a freelance artist for over 15 years, working on everything from gallery work and paintings to murals.
Chris Murray
The Boeheim mural features all the classic versions of Boeheim from over the years, according to the current mockup design. Up front and center is the legendary coach holding up the net from the 2003 Championship. Surrounding that image are the familiar Boeheim looks, from the classic suit and tie look from the eighties and nineties to the simple Block S jacket he wore in his final years. Murray said he strived to take “bits and pieces” of Boeheim’s career for the mural.
And of course, there’s plenty of Orange.
Murray said the project has been in the works for two years now, and it all began with an idea that popped up while he was laying in bed: is there a mural to honor the long-time coach in the city?
“I noticed that there wasn’t. That got me going down the rabbit hole on who to speak to, what the next steps would be,” Murray said. “Ever since that night before bed, I’ve been I’ve dedicated a good portion of my life to getting this mural painted.”
The idea suddenly turned into a mockup design.
Murray said there’s two pillars for the Boeheim mural. For starters, having it be visually attractive, boasting plenty of eye-popping colors and lots of elements from top to bottom. But the other goal, Murray said, is for the mural to be impactful and speak to everyone in the Syracuse community, sports fans or not.
With an initial framework complete, now came the next obstacle: getting eyeballs and traction on it. With some help from local media, word got out about the proposal. Shortly after that, Murray got in touch with Julie Boeheim, Jim’s wife. Murray said he’s been working directly with Julie on the project.
“This isn’t something that I even expected Jim to be excited about. This is more so me paying homage to somebody that I admired growing up and still do,” Murray said. “From Julie’s standpoint, she would always say, ‘yeah, Jim likes it.’ That’s just as much as she would give me on it, but Julie was very excited for it.”
Chris Murray
The current hurdle Murray is aiming to tackle is getting all the necessary funding needed.
As of Sunday afternoon, Murray said he has raised 60% of his fundraising goal of $75,000 for the mural. A majority of the funding so far has come from Syracuse University alumni, with the rest stemming from other donors who expressed interest in the project and money Murray has raised through a GoFundMe fundraising campaign. The goal is to make it “across the finish” line over the next few weeks, Murray said.
The final Boeheim mural will be made entirely by hand using spray paint and acrylic paint. As for when work will start on it, Murray said he’s aiming for mid-September.
And ideally, when all is said and done, and the project is complete, Murray said he hope it can be impactful for Syracuse residents now and moving forward.
“I want to be a reminder to to the community and to the people of Syracuse of how much joy he’s brought to that city from his coaching career, and then, also for generations coming up who don’t know Jim or what he’s done,” Murray said.