STEVE MURRAY Hall of Fame class of 2002

TEXAS LEGEND HONORED AS NEWEST HALL OF FAMER.....

Texas table soccer icon Steve Murray became the twent-first member of the prestigious Table Soccer Hall of Fame in an induction ceremony held at the recent Las Vegas season-opener as the U.S.T.S.A. continued it's effort to
recognize and remember the sport' s most important and influential personalities. The highly accomplished Mr. Murray was not only recognized for his exploits as one of the game�s greatest players, but also earned the honor for his years of work as a promoter and contributor to the sport as well.

The Table Soccer Hall of Fame was created in 1986 when 2000 Hall of Fame inductee Johnny Lott honored many of the sport�s true pioneers and great early players in a ceremony held in Long Beach, California in September of that year. The United States Table Soccer Association brought the Hall back in 1995 when the season�s opening event was renamed the Hall of Fame Classic (previously the Kickoff Classic) in an attempt to rekindle interest in the sport's history. An annual induction ceremony was added to the HOFC�s weekend schedule in 1996,and since then nine new members have been added to the original list of twelve.

One of the most fiercely-competitive players to ever play the game,Steve Murray used his exquisite offensive five row and Texas-style pull shot to put together a career record that places him among the best to ever play the game. Murray�s accomplishments as a professional include more than twenty major open titles during an illustrious playing career that began in the late 1970�s and concluded at the end of the 1996 season. He earned six world titles during his run as a player and was the first man to ever win the highly-sought-after Masters Singles title when he won the inaugural event back in 1988.

Steve also became the first man to ever triple at the worlds whern he claimed the Open Doubles, Singles and Mixed Doubles titles at the 1987 event in a performance that was hailed as one of the greatest ever. Murray then came back two years later to nearly duplicate that accomplishment when he earned both mixed doubles and singles honors at the 1989 worlds, while finishing third in doubles. He was named by his peers as the Tornado Player of the Year in both 1987 and 1989.

Steve, who works for Valley-Dynamo LP, manufacturers of the Tornado line of foosball tables, also continues to make his mark as a promoter of the sport. Not only does Steve, in his position as VDLP�s Western U.S. Sales
Representative, make sure that foosball tables continue to enter the national sales market, but he is also the driving force behind one of the biggest annual regional tournaments in the U.S., The Texas State Foosball Championships, held each year since 1993 in the Lone Star State.

Murray was also the long time editor of Table Talk magazine, guiding it through it�s early years of development and giving it the promotional staying power that it still possesses today. On a personal note: Steve was also the man who originally gave Inside Foos the opportunity to cover the pro tour. After seeing and hearing one of our local Los Angeles �Foos-casts�, Steve invited us to cover the pro tour and we�ve been there ever since. For this, Christina Fuchs and I thank him as well.

Steve has also been an influence on many of the big name players who call Texas their home. Pro Master players Tracy McMillin, Richard Wight, David Radack and Mike Archer, among others, will all tell you that �Old Dad� has been a major force in the development of their foosball careers. Steve�s legacy in the state of Texas is reflected each year in the success of his highly popular state championship event.

In his acceptance speech on Saturday evening at the Classic, Steve thanked former playing partners such as Carl Pederson, Kevin Keeter, Todd Loffredo and, of course, his companion in life, four-time world champ Gena Murray and also showed his appreciation by mentioning the importance of his mentor Dave Courington (a 1999 inductee) and long time foosball man Link Pendley. He also paid homage to the current braintrust behind the U.S.T.S.A., Gregg and Brian Elliott who have continued to effectively build upon a foundation that Murray helped to create.

As Murray�s acceptance speech grew to a close, he placed an 8� X 10� picture of his two little girls, Christina and Jennifer, on the podium, and reflecting on the day�s events, his career and the people he loves, looked out to his many friends in the crowd and simply said, �Life is good! Thank you.� He then walked off the stage, embracing those same friends, knowing that for the rest of his life he would be identified as "Steve Murray, Hall of Famer".