Joseph Daniel “Red” Murray (1894–1961) was born in Denver, Colorado and moved to California with his family in the early 1900s. While a student at the Polytechnic College of Engineering in Oakland, he joined The Olympic Club in 1916 to box and play handball. He was drafted into the military the next year.
Murray was first mentioned in the Olympian in January 1920, when he won an inter-club handball match against the Los Angeles Athletic Club champion, Dick Retzer. Later tournaments led Commissioner John L. A. Januet to remark, “Red played in his characteristically aggressive style, his speed at all times predominating. What conduced, however, to his victory was his remarkable killing, his left in that respect doing just as effective execution as his right.”
Murray won his first Club singles title in 1920, and went on to win two more in 1921 and 1923. Murray won the Club doubles title with Frank Foran in 1921, then with Lane McMillan in 1922, and finally with E.J. Granfield in 1923.
Murray’s greatest achievement was winning the 1923 National AAU Handball Championship. Matched against the best in the nation, Murray took down four former national champions in his path to victory. He defeated Art Schinner, 1922 title holder, in the third round. In the fourth round, he took down the 1923 junior national title holder, Albert Hobleman. In the semi-finals, Murray faced Dr. Carl Haedge, the 1921 national title holder. Murray came from behind to win the first
game, lost the second, but took the round with solid 21–11 in the third game.
In the finals, he faced a fellow Californian, Maynard Laswell, the 1922 doubles champ and future three-time singles champion. Murray lost the first game and then battled hard in the second game to reach a tie at 20–20, before finally scoring the 21st point. Murray took the final game handily, 21–6.
Murray and his fellow Olympians, Lane McMillan and Jack Donovan, were greeted by a crowd of civic leaders and 300 Olympians at the Ferry Building. They rode in decorated cars up a parade route to Post Street, and then were honored guests at several celebratory receptions. Murray put The Olympic Club on the handball map as the first of many Club members to win national titles.
