# Red Murrell (basketball)

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American basketball player

Red Murrell Murrell with the Phillips 66ers. Personal information Born (1933-02-23)February 23, 1933 Linneus, Missouri, U.S. Died October 31, 2017(2017-10-31) (aged 84) Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. Listed height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Listed weight 205 lb (93 kg) Career information High school Linneus (Linneus, Missouri) College Moberly Area CC (1954–1955) Drake (1955–1958) NBA draft 1958: 4th round, 25th overall pick Drafted by Cincinnati Royals Position Forward Number 33 Career highlights AAU All-American (1960) AP Honorable mention All-American (1958) 2× First-team All-MVC (1957, 1958) No. 33 retired by Drake Bulldogs NJCAA champion (1955) Stats at Basketball Reference

**Phillip Ray "Red" Murrell** (February 23, 1933 – October 31, 2017) was an American [basketball](/source/Basketball) player, best known for his college career at [Drake University](/source/Drake_University).[1]

A 6'4" [forward](/source/Forward_(basketball)) from [Linneus, Missouri](/source/Linneus%2C_Missouri), Murrell originally committed to the [University of Missouri](/source/University_of_Missouri), but left the school early in his freshman year. After a stint in the Army, he went to work for the [Ford Motor Corporation](/source/Ford_Motor_Corporation). Upon being laid off, he returned to college, attending [Moberly Area Community College](/source/Moberly_Area_Community_College) on a basketball scholarship.[2] During the 1954–55 season, Murrell was a second-team [NJCAA](/source/National_Junior_College_Athletic_Association) All-American[3] and led Moberly to the NJCAA national title and was named to the all-tournament team.[4]

Following his season at Moberly, Murrell transferred to [Drake](/source/Drake_Bulldogs_men's_basketball). In his three varsity seasons, Murrell scored 1,657 points for his career (22.7 [points per game](/source/Points_per_game)), leaving as the school's all-time leading scorer – a record that stood until 2010. He was drafted by the [Cincinnati Royals](/source/Cincinnati_Royals) after his junior season, but opted to return to Drake for the [1957–58 season](/source/1957%E2%80%9358_NCAA_University_Division_men's_basketball_season). That year Murrell set another school scoring mark, averaging 26.7 points per game, fifth in the nation. He was named an honorable mention [All-American](/source/NCAA_Men's_Basketball_All-Americans) by the [Associated Press](/source/Associated_Press) and was a first-team All-[Missouri Valley Conference](/source/Missouri_Valley_Conference) choice. In his final game, Murrell set the Drake single-game scoring mark with a 51-point outburst against [Houston](/source/Houston_Cougars_men's_basketball).[2]

Following his college career, Murrell was drafted by the [Minneapolis Lakers](/source/Minneapolis_Lakers) in the fourth round of the [1958 NBA draft](/source/1958_NBA_draft) (25th overall). Instead, he signed with the [Phillips 66ers](/source/Phillips_66ers) of the [Amateur Athletic Union](/source/Amateur_Athletic_Union) (AAU), where in 1960 he was named an [AAU All-American](/source/AAU_Men's_Basketball_All-Americans).[5]

Murrell was the first player in Drake school history to have his number retired.[2] He has also been named to the [Iowa Sports Hall of Fame](/source/Iowa_Sports_Hall_of_Fame) and the NJCAA Basketball Hall of Fame.[6]

Murrell died on October 31, 2017, in [Tulsa, Oklahoma](/source/Tulsa%2C_Oklahoma), from heart disease.[7]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Former Drake basketball All-American 'Red' Murrell dies at 84"](https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/college/drake/drake-bulldogs/2017/12/20/former-drake-basketball-all-american-red-murrell-dies-84/971758001/). *[Des Moines Register](/source/Des_Moines_Register)*. Retrieved 2017-12-21.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-DMR_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-DMR_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-DMR_2-2) Brown, Rick (July 30, 2007). ["Red Murrell, Drake Basketball, 2005"](http://archive.desmoinesregister.com/article/20070731/SPORTS020403/707310409/Red-Murrell-Drake-Basketball-2005). *[Des Moines Register](/source/Des_Moines_Register)*. Retrieved October 20, 2014.{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_deprecated_archival_service))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["2012–13 NJCAA men's basketball media guide, page 65"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130612184007/http://www.njcaa.org/Record%20Books/Basketball%20%28Men%27s%29/Men%27s%20Basketball%20Record%20Book.pdf) (PDF). *[National Junior College Athletic Association](/source/National_Junior_College_Athletic_Association)*. Archived from [the original](http://www.njcaa.org/Record%20Books/Basketball%20%28Men%27s%29/Men%27s%20Basketball%20Record%20Book.pdf) (PDF) on June 12, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Johnson, Michael L. (1988). *The JUCO Classic: 40 Years of the National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament*. Dallas, Texas: Taylor Publishing Co. pp. 68–74. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-943335-02-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-943335-02-7).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Grundman, Adolph (January 2004). ["The Golden Age Of Amateur Basketball: The AAU Tournament, 1921–1968"](https://market.android.com/details?id=book-kHVGigFqcNkC). [University of Nebraska Press](/source/University_of_Nebraska_Press).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Four Coaches and Two Players Headed to NJCAA Basketball Hall of Fame"](https://web.archive.org/web/20141021034815/http://www.njcaa.org/newsarticle.cfm?articleid=13287). *[National Junior College Athletic Association](/source/National_Junior_College_Athletic_Association)*. January 25, 2011. Archived from [the original](http://www.njcaa.org/newsarticle.cfm?articleid=13287) on October 21, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Phillip Ray "Red" Murrell (1933 - 2017)"](http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/examiner-enterprise/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=187271958). *[Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise](/source/Bartlesville_Examiner-Enterprise)*. November 19, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017.

v t e 1960 Amateur Athletic Union Men's Basketball All-Americans Bob Boozer Howie Crittenden Jim Francis Red Murrell Don Ohl Bill Reigel Charlie Slack Rolland Todd Ben Warley Carroll Williams

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