Murray Williamson, Minnesota hockey legend with the Gophers and the United States, dies at 91
Murray Williamson was an All-American for the University of Minnesota in the 1950s and coached two U.S. Olympic teams.
He was not on the list.
Murray Williamson, one of the most prominent figures in Minnesota hockey history, died Monday.
Williamson, a Gophers hockey All-American who went on to coach two U.S. Olympic teams, was 91.
Born in Winnipeg, Williamson was a three-year letterwinner
for the Gophers. He was the Gophers’ MVP and a first-team All-American in 1959.
In 76 games in his Gophers career, he had 79 points (32 goals and 47 assists). As a senior, he had 13 goals and 20 assists.
He played several seasons of semipro hockey before focusing on coaching. He was the coach and general manager of the St. Paul Steers of the United States Hockey League.
He coached the U.S. national teams in the World Hockey Championships in 1967, 1969 and 1971 and the U.S. Olympic teams in 1968 and 1972.
The 1968 Olympic team, which included future U.S. Olympic coach Herb Brooks, finished sixth in Grenoble, France, and the 1972 team won the silver medal in Sapporo, Japan.
Minnesotans made up over half of the roster of the 1972 team, which was featured in a 2006 book, “Striking Silver: The Untold Story of America’s Forgotten Hockey Team.”
In 1973, Williamson helped form the Midwest Junior Hockey
League. He was the coach of the first U.S. National Junior team that played in
the inaugural World Junior Tournament in Leningrad, Russia, in 1973.
Williamson is a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, the Massachusetts Hockey Hall of Fame, the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and the University of Minnesota Athletic Hall of Fame.
He was awarded the Legend of Hobey Baker Award in 2005 for his contributions to college hockey. He is featured in the book Striking Silver: The Untold Story of America's Forgotten Hockey Team, published by Sorts Publishing LLC in 2006 by the Caraccioli brothers.
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