Bennie Purcell Visitation Set For Feb. 27
2/25/2016 9:23:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Men's Tennis
A celebration of the life of Murray State great Bennie Purcell will be held at the Burton Family Hall of Champions at Murray State University, Saturday, Feb. 27.
The Hall of Champions is located adjacent to the CFSB Center in Murray, Ky. Friends and fans can stop by beginning at 4:30 p.m. Bennie's sons, Mel and Del, will be there to greet people. J.H. Churchill will provide a registry.
The time of visitation will be from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The day also marks the final home games of the regular season for the Racers' basketball team. The women's team hosts UT Martin and 5 p.m. with the men's game to follow at 6:30 p.m.
Purcell died Feb. 12, 2016 at his home in Murray.
Many referred to Bennie as Mr. MSU as the 86-year old former student-athlete and coach was still very active in the life of the university and city.
Purcell was one of the greats to play basketball at Murray State and was an All-America selection in 1952. He was the first Racer to reach 1,000 career points and was named to the Ohio Valley Conference's 40th anniversary basketball team in 1988. His No. 21 jersey was the first retired at MSU in 1952.
After his college career, Purcell toured with the Harlem Globetrotters before returning to Murray to serve as assistant basketball coach under Cal Luther and later became MSU's tennis coach in 1969. He MSU tennis teams won 11 OVC titles and 10-straight in the 1980's.
Purcell was a six-time hall of fame selection including: National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) (1969), Murray State Athletics (1969), Ohio Valley Conference (1990), Kentucky USTA (1994), Intercollegiate Tennis Association (1999) and Mount Vernon High School (2011).
The Hall of Champions is located adjacent to the CFSB Center in Murray, Ky. Friends and fans can stop by beginning at 4:30 p.m. Bennie's sons, Mel and Del, will be there to greet people. J.H. Churchill will provide a registry.
The time of visitation will be from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The day also marks the final home games of the regular season for the Racers' basketball team. The women's team hosts UT Martin and 5 p.m. with the men's game to follow at 6:30 p.m.
Purcell died Feb. 12, 2016 at his home in Murray.
Many referred to Bennie as Mr. MSU as the 86-year old former student-athlete and coach was still very active in the life of the university and city.
Purcell was one of the greats to play basketball at Murray State and was an All-America selection in 1952. He was the first Racer to reach 1,000 career points and was named to the Ohio Valley Conference's 40th anniversary basketball team in 1988. His No. 21 jersey was the first retired at MSU in 1952.
After his college career, Purcell toured with the Harlem Globetrotters before returning to Murray to serve as assistant basketball coach under Cal Luther and later became MSU's tennis coach in 1969. He MSU tennis teams won 11 OVC titles and 10-straight in the 1980's.
Purcell was a six-time hall of fame selection including: National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) (1969), Murray State Athletics (1969), Ohio Valley Conference (1990), Kentucky USTA (1994), Intercollegiate Tennis Association (1999) and Mount Vernon High School (2011).
