One of the legends of our sport is no longer with us. Dr. Bud Muehleisen passed away early morning on 9/8/24 from a stroke in Fridley, Minnesota.
Dr. Bud, as he was known, was one of the very first champions of Racquetball, winning the 1969 US National title after pivoting from paddleball (where he had taken the 1966 and 1968 National titles). Once he began playing racquetball, he paired with the other top paddleball champion-convert to racquetball in Charlie Brumfield to form the most dominant doubles team of the early era. The pair, who both lived in Southern California, were instrumental in the early 1970s growth of pro racquetball, and were also the first outdoor national champions in 1974.
Dr. Bud was already in his mid 30s when he pivoted to racquetball and retired from pro play in early 1977 to focus on his career and volunteerism in the sport. He still played amateur divisions and won dozens of national titles along the way. He served on the IRA board for years (IRA was the precursor to the modern day USA Racquetball organization), helped define the rules of the sport, worked with manufacturers during the sport's 1970s boom, was a frequent contributor to National Racquetball Magazine, and was a coach/mentor for years. To this day, the "Bud Muehleisen Award" is given out every year to the best male age group player of the year.
The "Doctor" of "Dr. Bud" was for dentistry, and he practiced for decades in La Mesa, a suburb of San Diego. He never forgot his roots though, and was a frequent visitor at the US Open and other major events.
He was in the inaugural inductee class to the USAR Hall of Fame in 1974 along with Joe Sobek, who invented the sport.
There are excellent tributes to Dr. Bud in Classic Racquetball from Chelsea George, who knew him well and was of the era. His HoF bio and his wikipedia page also give great details.
Condolences can be sent to Shannon Wright and family here (506 Rice Creek Terrace, Fridley MN 55432).
USA Racquetball Hall of Fame: https://www.usaracquetball.com/about/hall-of-fame
Bud Muehleisen award: https://www.usaracquetball.com/about/annual-awards
Paddleball Nat'l champs: https://paddleball.org/pdf/singles.pdf
USA Amateur Nat'l Champs: https://rball.pro/85i
Outdoor Nationals Doubles champs: https://rball.pro/9fk
Dr Bud's career Pro/National match record: https://rball.pro/mt8
Dr Bud's wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud_Muehleisen
Chelsea's Classic Racquetball remembrance post: https://www.facebook.com/groups/917996761894504/permalink/2229475790746588
Thanks Dr. Bud for everything you did for our sport.
