Month: September 2024

Dr Krinsky was the long-time coach of the Colorado State University – Pueblo (formerly known as the University of Southern Colorado), and was one of the most successful and decorated college coaches in the sport’s history. CSU-Pueblo is a standard bearer for collegiate programs in this country, and has competed against bigger and more well-funded schools for decades. Krinsky’s accomplishments earned him entry into his school’s athletic hall of fame in 2015, an amazing achievement for a racquetball-affiliated person. He deserves consideration for the USA Hall of Fame for his contributions to collegiate racquetball and to his home program.

After a battle with cancer, Dr. Krinsky passed away on 9/10/24.

Achievements:

– 5-time Overall National Champion: Dominated as the overall national champion in the years 1998-2000, 2018, and 2019.

– 14-time Men’s Team Title: Led the men’s team to 9 consecutive titles from 2004 to 2012.

– 1-time Women’s Team Title: Guided the women’s team to their first title in 2019.

– 118 Individual Titles: Secured 118 individual titles across men’s and women’s singles and doubles events.

Honors:

– CSU-Pueblo Athletics 2015 Hall of Fame Inductee: Recognized for exceptional contributions to sports as a special contributor. See https://gothunderwolves.com/honors/csu-pueblo-athletics-hall-of-fame/dr-richard-krinsky/58 for CSU Pueblo Athletics Hall of Fame page.

Contributions:

– Recruitment: Successfully recruited numerous student-athletes from both the US and internationally, enhancing the team’s talent and diversity.

– Fundraising and Development: Led fundraising efforts resulting in the construction of the only squash courts south of Colorado Springs, significantly boosting the local sports infrastructure. This record of achievement and contribution demonstrates an exceptional career deserving of hall of fame recognition.

Thanks to @jJeremy Mcglothin for the information contained herein.

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.

Borrowing from @Sudsy Monchik’s post: 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.