At the same time, he organized and led professional sports leagues and helped govern the baseball industry.

[3] He was the Mansfields' regular first basemen; that would be his most common fielding position but he played only a few full seasons "every day".

Highlights of his playing days would include finishing fifth in the National Association batting race with an average of .359 in 1872, and leading the NA with 30 stolen bases in 1875.

They did not threaten the National League in Boston, home to the NL's champion team and one of its anchor franchises.

Murnane had left little to care for his widow and four children from his second marriage, so the American League and the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) established a memorial fund for his family and held a benefit game on September 27, 1917, at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox, with Babe Ruth pitching, defeated an all-star team that include Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, and Shoeless Joe Jackson in the outfield.