Bennie Purcell Tennis Courts
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Bennie Purcell Tennis Courts
Murray State University's men's and women's tennis teams play all matches on the Bennie Purcell Tennis Courts on campus.
With eight lighted and well-maintained hard-courts, the facility is one of the best in the Ohio Valley Conference.
The facility was named in honor of former legendary MSU men's tennis coach Bennie Purcell, the father of current men's head coach Mel Purcell.
The senior Purcell coached tennis at Murray State for 28 seasons, earning 11 Ohio Valley Conference championships along the way. He was inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Hall of Fame in 1998.
Purcell came to MSU in 1948 to play basketball, where he became one of the top players in school history. His No. 21 jersey is one of only seven in school history to be retired and it hangs in the rafters of the Regional Special Events Center. He later served as an assistant basketball coach under Cal Luther before taking over the men's tennis program.
Purcell still resides in Murray and remains an avid supporter of Racer athletics.
