FLORENCE, Ala. (February 3, 2025) – The University of North Alabama Lions Athletic Club — the official booster club of UNA Athletics — announced former Atlanta Braves standout Dale Murphy as its keynote speaker for the 2025 Lion Pride Dinner and Auction on Thursday, August 7, 2025.
 
The event will be held at the Renaissance Shoals Conference Center beginning at 5 p.m. The event includes various speakers representing UNA, a press conference at 4:30 p.m., a silent auction and a keynote address from Murphy followed by a Q&A session.
 
Sponsorship and meet and greet packages for the event are available immediately. Tables of eight are on sale for $1,240 each, while individual tickets will go on sale in the summer, if available.
 
For more information, contact Megan Dye at (256) 765-4615 or at smlovelace@una.edu.

The event is sponsored by the UNA Foundation.
 
"As President of the UNA Lions Athletic Club, we are honored to bring a man and an athlete of Dale Murphy's stature to the Shoals," said LAC President Johnny Simpson. "His performance as a professional baseball player, benevolence in all aspects and a dedicated family man denotes his status as a true gentleman. I encourage the citizens of the Shoals to see him in August!"
 
This will be the fifth consecutive year of the event at Renaissance Shoals Conference Center. Past keynote speakers include Pete Rose in 2021, Bill Walton in 2022, Archie Manning in 2023 and Steve Spurrier in 2024. The last two events, headlined by Manning and Spurrier, sold out.
 
ABOUT DALE MURPHY
Dale Murphy was drafted in the first round of the 1974 draft by the Atlanta Braves. He played almost his entire career for the Braves (1974-1991) before finishing up with the Philadelphia Phillies (1991-1993) and Colorado Rockies (1993).
 
Dale (or "Murph" as he is known by teammates and fans) is the youngest player in MLB history to win back-to-back MVP awards (1982 and 1983). He won 2 consecutive NL Player of the Year Awards (The Sporting News, 1982, 1983) and was named to the NL All-Star Team seven times, including five as a starter. He won the Gillette Trophy for the highest number of All-Star votes in the NL in 1985.
 
Murph won five consecutive Gold Glove Awards and 4 Silver Slugger Awards. He was named NL Player of the Month a record 6 times and was named the most feared hitter in the NL in a survey of pitchers in 1985.  In 1991, he won the Bart Giamatti Caring Award and was presented in 1985 with the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, recognizing him as the player who best fit the image and character of Lou Gehrig. He also received the Roberto Clemente Award in honor of his character and charitable contributions on and off the field.
 
His streak of 740 consecutive games (1981-1986) was the 12th longest in baseball history.
In 1983, he became the sixth player in Major League history to have at least 30 homeruns (36) and 30 stolen bases (30) in one season. This elite group is referred to as the "30-30 Club."
 
During the decade spanning 1981-1990, he led the major leagues in home runs and RBI's. He also led the National League in games, at bats, runs scored, hits, extra base hits, runs created, total bases and plate appearances.
 
He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated three times. In 1987, he was named one of Sports Illustrated's Five Sportsmen and Sportswomen of the Year, representing Major League Baseball as the athlete "Who Cared the Most." He was honored with this award by President Ronald Regan in the Oval Office of the White House.
 
Dale retired from baseball in 1993 after a long and successful career.
 
His number (#3) was the fourth in the history of the Atlanta Braves' organization to be retired. It hung for a time in Atlanta Fulton-County Stadium and Turner Field, and now takes it place among the number of other Braves Legends at Truist Park.
 
Dale is still known today as one of the true gentlemen of the game. He is a sought-after business, collegiate and motivational speaker and travels the country sharing his messages about Major League Leadership, Resilience, Creating a Culture of Success and more.
 
Dale and his wife of 46 years—Nancy—are the parents of eight children (seven sons and one daughter) and grandparents to 20. His family, faith in God and his accomplishments off the field are the things in life he treasures the most.  
 
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.