Ivan Murrell

Ivan Augustus (Peters) Murrell (April 24 1943 - October 8, 2006) was a backup outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Houston Colt .45's & Astros (1963-64, 1967-68), San Diego Padres (1969-72) and Atlanta Braves (1974). A native of Almirante, Panama, Murrell batted and threw right-handed. He debuted on September 28, 1963, and played his final game on October 2, 1974.

Murrell played in part of four seasons for Houston teams before being chosen by San Diego in the expansion draft. His most productive season came in 1970 with the Padres, when he posted career-highs in home runs (12), RBI (35), runs (41), hits (85) and games played (125). He played his last major league season for the Braves.

In a 10-year career, Murrell was a .236 hitter with 33 home runs and 123 RBI in 564 games.

In 1989, Murrell joined the St. Lucie Legends of the Senior Professional Baseball Association, hitting .272 with five home runs in 47 games. He also worked as a scout and a minor league coach for the Houston Astros organization.

Murrell died in Stuart, Florida, at age 63.

Facts

*Murrell was also an undefeated middleweight boxer and was selected to play on Panama's soccer team in the 1963 Pan American Games.
*Created the "Ivan Murrell Foundation", a charity that helps give underprivileged kids educational opportunities in and out of baseball.

ee also

*List of players from Panama in Major League Baseball

External links

* [http://www.ivanmurrell.com/Welcome/Welcome.html Official website]
* [http://www.astrosdaily.com/players/obits/Murrell_Ivan.html Houstros Astros website]
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/M/Murrell_Ivan.stm Baseball Library]
* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/murreiv01.shtml Baseball Reference]
* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Ivan_Murrell BR bullpen]
* [http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/pro_baseball/article/0,2820,TCP_24442_5060578,00.html Obituary]