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Phillip Ray "Red" Murrell, 84, died Tuesday, October 31, 2017 at St. John's Hospital, in Tulsa Oklahoma following an illness with heart disease.
Phillip was born February 23, 1933 and raised in Linneus, Missouri. Linneus was where Phil "Red" Murrell was given his nickname due to his red hair, and where in the eighth grade he began his basketball legacy, averaging 42 points per game, sometimes as much as the entire teams' scoring combined.
After High School Red attended the University of Missouri. While still a freshman, he enlisted in the Army at 19. After his tour in the Army, where he was stationed in San Francisco, he worked at Ford Motor Corporation.
He returned to play basketball for Moberly Missouri Junior College, and the following year attended Drake University in Des Moines Iowa where he would play for the hall of fame coach Maury John, who won 211 games in his career.
Red's final game in March of 1958 saw him score the winning basket in overtime to win the game and score a total of 51 points. Red still holds eight records at Drake, where he was the first player in the school's history to have his number (33) retired.
The basketball honors awarded to him include being named to the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame in 2005 and in 2011 the NJCAA Basketball Hall of Fame.
Drafted by the Lakers (Minneapolis) after college, Red chose to play for the Phillips 66ers (Oilers), an AAU team, and began working for Phillips. His love and talent for sports continued as he was ranked nationally in racquetball and played nearly every day for 20 years with his friends at the YMCA in Bartlesville.
For 25 years Red worked for Phillips. He also worked at Plaza National Bank of Bartlesville and then he was the transportation Director for the Bartlesville Public Schools for the next 17 years. Later, he drove patients between their homes and a local Doctors office, for their cataract surgeries.
His marriage to Mary Kay (Hamilton), from 1961 to 1983, gifted the couple with two sons who would take to the racquetball court with their father during those years at the YMCA. They followed in Red's footsteps excelling in the sport, winning numerous tournaments in and around the adjoining states.
Red's tenacity in sports carried over for helping other people and was easily seen as he volunteered for the Bartlesville Wesleyan Church as a greeter and usher every Sunday for nearly 20 years. The kindness he showed to others, whether it was literally giving someone the shirt off of his back or bringing gifts of chocolate or strawberries, he felt compelled to give in whatever capacity he could and did so at every opportunity to benefit his friends and family.
Phillip is survived by his two sons; Steven Ray and wife Dana of Bartlesville and Phillip Alan of Tulsa, and a brother-in-law; Ray Hamilton of Tulsa. He is preceded in death by parents; Eva Pearl (Bailey) and Harry D. Murrell and siblings; Robert, Naomi and Patricia.
A gathering will take place to celebrate Red's life at the Price Tower Gallery, on the first floor, from 4pm to 7pm on Friday, December 8, 2017. All are welcome and encouraged to come and share their best Red stories and memories.
In Lieu of Flowers, donations can be deposited to help pay for the Phillip "Red" Murrell Memorial at any Arvest Bank location. Any remaining funds will be humbly gifted to the Hopestone Cancer Support Center of Bartlesville and the Washington County S.P.C.A. Donations made directly to either organization in Phillip's name are also welcomed.
Published in Examiner-Enterprise from Nov. 19 to Dec. 18, 2017
