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.”
