Bud Muehleisen
| Bud Muehleisen | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Bud Muehleisen 1931 (age 85–86) La Mesa, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Racquetball Player, Dentist |
| Children | |
| Awards | First Inductee into the Racquetball Hall of Fame, San Diego Hall of Champions |
Bud Muehleisen is a dentist in San Diego, California, and a racquetball and paddleball player. A left-handed player, "Dr. Bud" Muehleisen was the first person inducted into the Racquetball Hall of Fame (in 1974, only a year after the Hall of Fame was established), and is considered the best racquetball player and the best paddleball player of the 1960s era, and one of the best finesse players in the history of either game. The description of his career at the Racquetball Hall of Fame reads:
'Dr. Bud' Muehleisen has sometimes been called the most influential man in racquetball. He began playing paddleball in 1962, won four national titles, then took up paddle rackets in 1969, edging out Brumfield to win one of the first national championships in the sport that would become racquetball. Bud served on the IRA board of directors for seven years as the first Rules Committee chairman and was instrumental in the formation of the game's first rules. He won an unprecedented 41 national titles, was a coach and teacher, a regular contributor of instructional material to early magazines and worked with most of the major equipment manufacturers in developing racquets, balls and other products.
Muehleisen's vast collection of age group national titles made him the namesake of USA Racquetball's "Bud Muehleisen Age Group Award" given annually to the nation's best age group racquetball player.
Tennis was Muehleisen's first racket sport, and this affected the mechanics of his swing, which exploited the tennis ground stroke for other racket sports. He also played badminton, and he excelled in paddleball, being virtually impossible to beat for several years. On account of his four national titles, his championship paddle is a permanent trophy in a display kiosk near the racquetball courts at the University of Michigan where the sport of paddleball was born. He dominated the sport for most of the 1960s and his last national paddleball championship came in 1968 after which he was eclipsed by his pupil Charlie Brumfield.
Paddleball has always been an "amateur" sport emphasizing "gentlemanly conduct". This is reflected in the tradition of self-refereeing matches even in national championships. Muehleisen epitomized the gentleman paddleball player. He always appeared neatly dressed (usually in white when on the court); he was known for being courteous to his opponents, and mild-mannered both on and off the court. A February 7, 1972 Sports Illustrated article about Muehleisen described him as "Mr. Clean" In the same article, Muehleisen described himself as "The White Knight", referring both to his demeanor and his court apparel. That nickname that stuck, and he is still sometimes known by it today.
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