Dr. John F. Murray: Expert Clinical and Sports Psychologist

Dr. John F. Murray is a world-renowned sports psychologist. He has been described as “The Freud of Football” (Washington Post), the “Roger Federer of Sports Psychology” (Tennis Week Magazine), “One of the Major Psychologists in Sports” (Fox Sports), “One of the Best in the Business” (USA Today), and “The King of Sports Brains” (Sports Illustrated).

Featured Biographical Interviews

• Psychology Today Interview | USA Today Interview | Sports Illustrated Feature Story
• Cover Feature of Ground Strokes Canada | Tennis Europe Feature | Boca Raton News Front Page
• Detroit Free Press Profile

Overview from Dr. John F. Murray (2026)

“Sports psychology is a great source of inspiration and I love helping people improve, whether in mental skills training to enhance performance or in a non-sport clinical situation calling for psychotherapy, stress management or better life adjustment. In dealing with performance situations, the goal is usually to compete better and win more in business or sports.

My dream at age 10 was to bat 4th for the Yankees and quarterback the Miami Dolphins to a Super Bowl win. In some ways, my sports dreams have become reality as I’ve coached and played tennis worldwide, worked with many pro athletes and teams in the NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL and NCAA, coached at major tournaments like the Australian Open and Wimbledon, trained athletes at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and UFC 100 in Las Vegas, and developed a unique system for rating mental performance in NFL football.

I’m absolutely convinced that solid mental training and mental toughness in sport is a huge key to success. My goal is to help my clients become the best they can become in whatever they are striving to do. Taking care of thoughts, feelings, actions and sensations professionally is the key to so much more success as well as a solid solution to many of the problems that exist in sports and other competitive arenas.”

Credentials & Unique Graduate School Training

Dr. John F. Murray is a sports psychologist and clinical psychologist, licensed in Florida since 1999 (#PY6086). This dual specialization provides the expertise to handle personal mental health as well as elite performance-related issues.

He received his training at one of the top-ranked doctoral programs in the country, involving academic coursework, publication of a master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation, and rigorous supervised clinical training at the University of Florida and within a major tertiary care medical center. He began providing supervised client services in his second year of study (1993), providing years of additional experience compared to the majority of doctoral programs.

Athletic Background & Success Stories

Prior to graduate studies, John traveled worldwide as a tennis professional and achieved a Top 10 ranking in the Florida Open Division in his late 30s.

• Smart Tennis: Authored the top-selling “Smart Tennis: How to Play and Win the Mental Game,” cover endorsed by World #1 Lindsay Davenport.
• The Vince Spadea Story: Tennis professional Vincent Spadea credited Dr. Murray for helping him overcome the longest losing streak in history to return to the Top 10 in the ATP Champions Race.
• NFL Expertise: Wrote “The Mental Performance Index: Ranking the Best Teams in Super Bowl History” with a forward by 4-time Super Bowl champion Tom Flores and epilogue by Hall of Fame broadcaster Lesley Visser.

Academic Background

• Ph.D. (1998): University of Florida, Department of Clinical and Health Psychology.
• Dissertation: Examined stress and coping with the 1996 National Champion University of Florida Gators football team.
• Master’s Degrees: Earned two master’s degrees (1992 and 1995) in both Exercise & Sports Sciences, and Clinical & Health Psychology.
• Bachelor’s Degree (1983): Psychology, Loyola University of New Orleans.
• Fellowships: Completed a counseling and sport psychology internship at Washington State University (1997-1998) and a postdoctoral fellowship at Florida International University (1998-1999), both involving work with division I athletes and teams.

Leadership & Media

Dr. John F. Murray is the past-President of the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Florida Psychological Association (2002). As a national spokesman, his insights have appeared on over 300 television and radio stations, including Good Morning America, Fox News, The Tennis Channel, and The NFL Network, and in publications like Time, Newsweek, and The Wall Street Journal.

Personal & Contact

Dr. John F. Murray enjoys playing the piano, travel, and football contest prognostication using his patented Mental Performance Index.

Contact: 561-596-9898

Address: North Palm Beach, Florida

Email: johnfmurray@mindspring.com

Whether you are looking to gain a competitive edge in sports or achieve peak performance in business, I am here to help you reach the next level!