A published narrative appears on the Feature/Culture page
March 03, 2010 1:54 PM EST
I just got to meet him today, and I am just amazed at the fact I got to meet a real baseball player and I got to talk to him. He is great, and his stories I could listen to all day.
- Carmella K
March 17, 2010 2:21 PM EDT
Great story about Spud! Glad I found this. I picked up a 1966 Yankees road game jersey with his number 55 in the collar. It was renumbered in 1969 to #50 and issued to then rookie pitcher Bill Burbach. I would love to show you and or/Spud the jersey (or pics) if interested.
- Chris
July 02, 2010 1:23 PM EDT
When I was a kid, the Yanks had to park across from the Stadium in a gated lot and walk through the fans' lot to get to the clubhouse. We'd get there early to hang out trolling for autographs. One day I got Jim Bouton and Jerry Coleman and then ran up to this guy with three other kids. He said, "I don't know why you kids want my autograph, I just throw goofballs." It was Spud. I still have the mitt with his and the other two signatures on it.
- John Heeg
July 24, 2010 7:16 PM EDT
Spud took my friend and a bunch of us kids from the neighborhood to a Yankee game in June '67. I'll never forget the thrill that day and his kindness. We met Yankees in the parking lot and got their autographs, and Spud took my little autograph book into the locker room. I still have the autographs, the group photo, and ticket stub from that day. I remember him as a nice guy who was friendly to all the kids.
- Dave
February 21, 2011 10:29 AM EST
Ed Murray, Spud's nephew, sends his love. He always thinks about those times spent with Spud as a kid. Ed would travel up to NYC every summer for a week with Spud and the Yankees. Many fond memories of meeting Yogi, The Mick, Maris, and all the other Greats.
- Anonymous
July 02, 2012 6:02 PM EDT
My childhood friend George Krouch gave me a 1965 autographed Yankees baseball that had been given to him by his sister Helen. Helen got that baseball from Spud Murray, who was a boyfriend of hers.
(Helen was later one of the earliest people to donate a heart for transplant, after dying in an auto accident. Sadly, the recipient didn't survive. And the ball was stolen from me a few years ago.)
Let me know if you come across a 1965 Yankees ball--with Spud's name on it too!
- Freddie Gasparini
July 05, 2012 3:15 PM EDT
I have in my possession either a 1967 or 1968 Yankees ball that has my cousin Spud's signature. I believe it was Roger Maris' last year with the Yanks. Whole team signed it.
- David
August 24, 2012 8:53 PM EDT
My dad was Spud's doctor in mid-2000s. He stopped by to meet me one day and we became friends. He told many stories and answered any questions I could ask. If he had ever written a book, he would have made millions.
- Kurt Guiser
May 08, 2013 7:27 AM EDT
Spud used to come to Renovo, PA to go hunting and fishing. He became friends with my parents. I can remember in the 60s around 1 a.m. on a Saturday morning we would hear someone say, "Hey Witcheys, get up, the New York Yankees are in town." They would be standing in my living room. I knew them as baseball players, but at the time I didn't realize who they were: Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Spud, and the rest of them.
- Christine (Witchey) Sherlock
May 11, 2013 1:26 PM EDT
Spud was a great friend of my grandfather John Barr Smith from Chester Heights, PA. I'll never forget Spud's telling stories about DiMaggio and meeting Marilyn Monroe. Also holding his World Series ring and putting that heavy thing on my finger. What an awesome guy.
- Joe Voigt
February 03, 2014 6:51 AM EST
I grew up on the Delaware River in what is now the Delaware Water Gap National Park. I was 11 years old and out on the river in a rowboat fishing one day when another boat came gliding up alongside. The man in it asked me, "Hey kid, where do you catch fish in this river?" I told him where to go for different types of fish, showing off my knowledge. He said, "Thanks," and asked me where I lived. I pointed through the trees to a house up the hill. As he pulled away, he said he would let me know how he did.
A couple of weeks later, there was a knock at our door. My Mom answered, and a voice said "Hello" and asked her if her son was at home. She asked, "What has he done now?" The voice replied, "The lad gave me some good fishing advice, and I want to thank him." It was Spud Murray. I recognized him from our meeting on the river but didn't know who he was. When he explained that he was a New York Yankee, my jaw hit the floor.
Spud gave me a 1964 autographed baseball of the Yankees that I still cherish to this day. His actions taught an 11-year-old kid two very valuable life lessons that have been a part of my personal and business being to this day: #1 - When you meet someone, you never know who you are talking to, and
#2 - A simple act of kindness can lead to great things.
I am sad to learn from this article that Spud has passed away. His memory and the lessons he taught me have been passed along to my family and my employees, and he has touched all of their lives too. I will be leaving the autographed baseball to my grandson someday, and with it he will find a copy of this story and the lessons that I learned. I hope that it will touch his heart also so that Spud's memory and life lessons will be passed on.
- James M. Cahill
August 09, 2014 4:01 PM EDT
Spud played pool in the DelCo league for me. He autographed a beer coaster, saying that I was a favorite coach. I know that was crap, but he loved when I played Amanda on the jukebox. I cherish the times I had with ShotBird.
- Ron Cross
September 10, 2019 10:54 AM EDT
I knew Spud from when I was little kid. He lived down the road in Concord Twp. We hunted together, and I loved to hear his stories about ball-playing days. What a great guy he was!
- Matthew Glatts