Willie Murrell, former Kansas State men’s basketball star, dies
Willie Murrell, a star on Kansas State’s 1964 Final Four basketball team, died earlier this month in Commerce City, Colo. He was 77.
Murrell was born in Taft, Okla., and attended Eastern Oklahoma A&M before transferring to Kansas State in 1962.
For two seasons, Murrell thrived in coach Tex Winter’s triangle offense, averaging a double-double in 1962-63 and 1963-64. In his K-State career, Murrell averaged 20.6 points and 10.7 rebounds.
He led the Wildcats to Big Eight championships both years and in 1964 the Wildcats won the Midwest Region championship by beating Wichita State on the Shockers’ home floor behind Murrell’s 28 points.
Kansas State lost to UCLA at national semifinal in Municipal Auditorium, despite 29 points from Murrell. He was named to the All-Final Four team.
Murrell’s K-State jersey was retired in 2009.. He was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
Murrell was selected in the fourth round of the 1964 draft by the St. Louis Hawks. He played three seasons in the ABA for the Denver Rockets, Miami Floridians and Kentucky Colonels and retired from professional basketball after the 1970 season.