BATON ROUGE — Patrick Murphy is going back to "Ala-BAMA," as Forrest Gump would have said.

After one weekend as LSU’s softball coach, including a memorable press conference Friday that seemed more like a Christmas family reunion than a coaching announcement for a minor sport, Murphy called LSU associate athletic director Miriam Segar at 1:30 Sunday afternoon. Baton Rouge was already in his rearview mirror.

Like a Bama breeze, he was gone.

Segar called LSU athletic director Joe Alleva, who on Friday had made Murphy the highest paid softball coach in the country at $225,000 a year. Alleva and Murphy met at Alleva’s office next to Tiger Stadium Sunday. Soon a press release was in the works. Under the title, "LSU softball search begins anew as Murphy changes mind," it was sent out at 5:24 p.m. Sunday.

"You’ve got to be kidding me," said LSU associate athletic director Herb Vincent when he heard. "LSU has re-opened its search for a new softball coach after Patrick Murphy reneged on his decision to coach the Tigers," Vincent’s release said.

"I don’t know of anything like this happening before at LSU," said Vincent, who first began working in the school’s athletic department in 1979. "He said his heart wasn’t in it. The only thing close to it is when we cancelled a press conference to announce the hiring of Pat Sullivan."

Another Alabama guy, Sullivan was set to leave TCU’s head coaching job in December of 1994 to become LSU’s new football coach, replacing Curley Hallman. But soon problems developed with the contract buyout Sullivan had to pay TCU. And Sullivan, a Birmingham, Ala., native and Heisman Trophy winning quarterback at Auburn in 1971, never became LSU’s coach — not even for a day. There was no press conference. Vanderbilt coach Gerry DiNardo later took the job.

The press conference for Murphy on Friday at 3 p.m. was filled with homecoming hugs right out of a Hallmark movie. Murphy would be replacing mentor Yvette Girouard, who taught the then-25-year-old how to coach softball when he was a first-time assistant at UL from 1990-94.

Girouard, who helped Alleva with the hire, sat at the center of the room on a line with Murphy. On Friday, Murphy brought with him associate head coach Alyson Habetz, a native of Crowley who played on Girouard’s first College World Series team at UL in 1993.

"Half of the city of Crowley was at the press conference," Vincent said.

A gentleman walked up to Murphy as one-on-one interviews began after the press conference. "Welcome home," he said.

"From the nature of the press conference and less than 48 hours later, I’m shocked," Vincent said.

Murphy was asked after the Friday press conference if Alabama matched LSU’s $225,000 offer, which was $60,000 more than his previous salary.

"They attempted to," Murphy said. "It was just a little too late, though."

"I am glad to see that he has had a change of heart because I have always known that he is one of the finest coaches in America," Alabama athletic director Mal Moore said Sunday.

"We went after him, and we got him. This is a great day for LSU softball," Alleva said Friday, but it did not end up being a good week for Alleva.

"I am very disappointed in Patrick’s decision after he had committed to be our head coach," Alleva said Sunday.

"I am especially disappointed for the young women on our team to whom he gave every indication he was in this for the long haul. We will use this opportunity to find a coach who will be the right leader for our student-athletes, who will wear the purple and gold with pride and will lead the softball program with integrity."

Suddenly Alleva is scrambling for a new coach again. On Sunday, he asked Habetz to interview. She said no. She’s going back to Alabama, too. Houston Coach Kyla Holas, a UL pitcher on the 1993 World Series team under Girouard and Murphy, is a likely candidate. She will be in Louisiana on June 16-18 for Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame induction in Natchitoches.

"I can’t believe I’m standing here," Murphy said Friday.

He’s not anymore.

"LSU offered me a great opportunity," Murphy said in a release put out by Alabama Sunday night that said their coach was back.

"But I realized once I got there that I had made a mistake that had nothing to do with LSU. I realized that I belong at Alabama. Alabama is where my heart is, and I cannot in good conscience try to do a job in which I am not totally committed beyond any doubt."

On Friday, Murphy praised LSU for performing a first in college softball — going after a sitting head coach and not just gathering up the usual resumes.

"The way LSU went about it in my mind only happens in football and men’s basketball," he said.

He also explained how as a UL assistant he used to drive to LSU to watch baseball and "loved Todd Walker" and "was the biggest Ben McDonald fan" and wore LSU shirts "until I wore them out." He noted that purple and gold were the colors at his Northern Iowa alma mater.

Suddenly, Murphy is all red again.

"I can honestly say that the last few days have only made it clear that Alabama is where I want to be — beyond any doubt," he said.

"I think my career has come full circle," he said Friday before a drastic turn. "She (Girouard) gave me my first coaching job. I hope to make here proud and win the first SEC softball national championship."

Girouard did not return a call Sunday.

"I appreciate everything LSU did," Murphy said.

"This change of heart is not in any way a reflection on anyone at LSU. It is solely something I am responsible for. I can only convey to everyone my deepest apologies for putting all of those who care about both of these programs through a difficult time."