Shelby Metcalf
Encyclopedia
Shelby Metcalf was the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball
team for 27 seasons, from 1963 to 1990. He won more games than any other coach in the former Southwest Conference. Achieving success as basketball coach at a university known more for its dedication to its football team, Metcalf endeared himself to Aggie fans for his loyalty to the school and his witticisms. Although his coaching career ended on a bitter note when he was fired in a dispute with A&M athletic director John David Crow
in 1990, Metcalf remained loyal to Texas A&M University
. He continued to live in the College Station
community and supported the Aggie basketball coaches who succeeded him.
and attended Tulsa Central High School
. He attended A&M Junior College for one year before transferring to East Texas State (now Texas A&M University-Commerce), where he was an All-American guard and led the team to three NAIA national tournaments, twice being named to the all-tournament team. In his senior year in 1955, the team won the NAIA championship; the same year, Metcalf earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at ETSU.
After graduation, Metcalf spent one year as a head coach at Cayuga (Texas) High School, posting a 33-10 record. He then joined the United States Air Force
, becoming the Athletic Officer at Sembach Air Base in Germany
from 1956 to 1958. As a player and coach, he amassed a 78-17 record and winning the All-Germany Championship twice.
During his 26½ seasons with Texas A&M from 1963 to 1990, Metcalf won a total of 438 games, 239 of them in conference play, more than any other men's basketball coach in Southwest Conference history. His coaching record was 438-306, 239-158 in conference. Metcalf was known as "The King of Tournaments", for taking the Aggies to 74 in-season tournaments in order to ensure that the team would play at least one game each year on a neutral floor. In the 1989-90 season, the team made a record five tournament appearances.
In his first season as a head coach, Metcalf's team went 18-7, winning the Southwest Conference, the Aggies' first conference championship in 41 years. Metcalf's teams won a total of six conference championships (1964, 1969, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1986) and only placed lower than fourth in the conference six times. Under Metcalf, the A&M team made five NCAA tournament
appearances, including two Sweet Sixteen appearances in 1969 (when only 25 teams were invited to the tournament) and 1980. The latter team won 26 games--a school record that stood until 2006-07--beating North Carolina
in double overtime in the second round of the tournament before just missing advancing to the Elite Eight with an overtime loss to eventual champion Louisville
.
Twenty-four of Metcalf's players earned first-team all-conference citations and John Beasley
was named a first-team All-American by the Helms Foundation in 1966. Eighteen players were drafted by professional basketball leagues, including Sonny Parker
, who was a 1976 first-round NBA draft pick. In 1971, the A&M men's basketball color barrier was broken when Metcalf personally convinced Mario Brown
, an African-American player, to attend the school. Brown later earned second-team All-Southwest Conference honors and was selected as a team co-captain.
Metcalf's success prompted the primarily football-focused student body to begin paying attention to basketball. The A&M basketball arena, G. Rollie White Coliseum
, often sold out and soon became known as the "Holler House on the Brazos". Metcalf took full advantage of the noisy arena, earning a doctorate in Recreation and Resource Development from Texas A&M in 1974 with a dissertation titled "Crowd Behavior at Southwest Conference Games".
The longest serving basketball coach in Southwest Conference history, Metcalf was fired after feuding with Athletic Director John David Crow
midway through the 1989-1990 season, The next year the Aggies began what would grow into a fifteen-year basketball slump that included only one winning season. The team did not approach Metcalf's success until 2005, when A&M hired former UTEP coach Billy Gillispie
. Gillispie reached out to Metcalf, inviting him to practices and encouraging him to attend the home games.
, one of the most prestigious honor societies in academia.
Metcalf had such a profound effect on Aggie basketball that during the 2006-2007 season, former Aggie coach Billy Gillispie
began a tournament in his honor held in College Station, Texas
, titled the Shelby Metcalf Classic.
Metcalf died on February 8, 2007 from cancer. He was survived by his widow, Janis, and their daughter, Shelley Metcalf Valerius.
Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball
The Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball team represents Texas A&M University in NCAA Division I college basketball. The Aggies play home games at Reed Arena, a 12,500-capacity arena in College Station, Texas on the campus of Texas A&M University....
team for 27 seasons, from 1963 to 1990. He won more games than any other coach in the former Southwest Conference. Achieving success as basketball coach at a university known more for its dedication to its football team, Metcalf endeared himself to Aggie fans for his loyalty to the school and his witticisms. Although his coaching career ended on a bitter note when he was fired in a dispute with A&M athletic director John David Crow
John David Crow
John David Crow was the Heisman Trophy winner and halfback from Texas A&M University in 1957...
in 1990, Metcalf remained loyal to Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
. He continued to live in the College Station
College Station, Texas
College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio...
community and supported the Aggie basketball coaches who succeeded him.
Early years
Shelby R. Metcalf, Jr. grew up in Tulsa, OklahomaTulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
and attended Tulsa Central High School
Central High School (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
Central High School is the oldest high school in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was founded in 1906 as Tulsa High School, and located in downtown Tulsa until 1976. The school now has a campus in northwest Tulsa. Tulsa Central is part of the Tulsa Public Schools, Oklahoma's largest school district, and is a...
. He attended A&M Junior College for one year before transferring to East Texas State (now Texas A&M University-Commerce), where he was an All-American guard and led the team to three NAIA national tournaments, twice being named to the all-tournament team. In his senior year in 1955, the team won the NAIA championship; the same year, Metcalf earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at ETSU.
After graduation, Metcalf spent one year as a head coach at Cayuga (Texas) High School, posting a 33-10 record. He then joined the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, becoming the Athletic Officer at Sembach Air Base in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
from 1956 to 1958. As a player and coach, he amassed a 78-17 record and winning the All-Germany Championship twice.
Coaching career
Metcalf joined the Texas A&M University men's basketball coaching staff in 1958 as the freshman coach under Bob Rogers, who had previously coached Metcalf at East Texas State University. For the next five years, Metcalf continued in that role, before replacing Rogers as head coach in 1963.During his 26½ seasons with Texas A&M from 1963 to 1990, Metcalf won a total of 438 games, 239 of them in conference play, more than any other men's basketball coach in Southwest Conference history. His coaching record was 438-306, 239-158 in conference. Metcalf was known as "The King of Tournaments", for taking the Aggies to 74 in-season tournaments in order to ensure that the team would play at least one game each year on a neutral floor. In the 1989-90 season, the team made a record five tournament appearances.
In his first season as a head coach, Metcalf's team went 18-7, winning the Southwest Conference, the Aggies' first conference championship in 41 years. Metcalf's teams won a total of six conference championships (1964, 1969, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1986) and only placed lower than fourth in the conference six times. Under Metcalf, the A&M team made five NCAA tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
appearances, including two Sweet Sixteen appearances in 1969 (when only 25 teams were invited to the tournament) and 1980. The latter team won 26 games--a school record that stood until 2006-07--beating North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
in double overtime in the second round of the tournament before just missing advancing to the Elite Eight with an overtime loss to eventual champion Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
.
Twenty-four of Metcalf's players earned first-team all-conference citations and John Beasley
John Beasley
John Beasley may refer to:*John Beasley , American actor*John Beasley , American basketball player*John Beasley , American football player...
was named a first-team All-American by the Helms Foundation in 1966. Eighteen players were drafted by professional basketball leagues, including Sonny Parker
Sonny Parker (basketball)
Robert S. Parker, known as Sonny is a retired American college basketball forward for Texas A&M University who was a first-round NBA draft pick for the Golden State Warriors...
, who was a 1976 first-round NBA draft pick. In 1971, the A&M men's basketball color barrier was broken when Metcalf personally convinced Mario Brown
Mario Brown
Mario Brown , known as "Bro' Rap", was the first African-American men's basketball player at Texas A&M University.-Early years:...
, an African-American player, to attend the school. Brown later earned second-team All-Southwest Conference honors and was selected as a team co-captain.
Metcalf's success prompted the primarily football-focused student body to begin paying attention to basketball. The A&M basketball arena, G. Rollie White Coliseum
G. Rollie White Coliseum
The G. Rollie White Coliseum is an on-campus arena at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, in the United States. Often referred to as the "Jollie Rollie" or "The Holler House on the Brazos," the arena was the home of Texas A&M's Aggie volleyball team, which played there since its...
, often sold out and soon became known as the "Holler House on the Brazos". Metcalf took full advantage of the noisy arena, earning a doctorate in Recreation and Resource Development from Texas A&M in 1974 with a dissertation titled "Crowd Behavior at Southwest Conference Games".
The longest serving basketball coach in Southwest Conference history, Metcalf was fired after feuding with Athletic Director John David Crow
John David Crow
John David Crow was the Heisman Trophy winner and halfback from Texas A&M University in 1957...
midway through the 1989-1990 season, The next year the Aggies began what would grow into a fifteen-year basketball slump that included only one winning season. The team did not approach Metcalf's success until 2005, when A&M hired former UTEP coach Billy Gillispie
Billy Gillispie
Billy Clyde Gillispie , also known by his initials BCG, is an American college basketball coach. Since 2011, he has been the current head coach of the men's basketball team at Texas Tech University...
. Gillispie reached out to Metcalf, inviting him to practices and encouraging him to attend the home games.
Coaching Record
‡ Partial season; released after 19 gamesPost-Coaching career
After being relieved of his coaching duties, Metcalf worked for the A&M Center of Academic Enhancement. Until 1994, he often spoke at banquets, athletic events, and high schools, including three appearances at prison graduations, and was twice selected to Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities.Career Honors
He was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, the East Texas State Athletics Hall of Fame, the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, and the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame. He was also elected into Phi Kappa PhiPhi Kappa Phi
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is an honor society established 1897 to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to area of study and to promote the "unity and democracy of education"...
, one of the most prestigious honor societies in academia.
Metcalf had such a profound effect on Aggie basketball that during the 2006-2007 season, former Aggie coach Billy Gillispie
Billy Gillispie
Billy Clyde Gillispie , also known by his initials BCG, is an American college basketball coach. Since 2011, he has been the current head coach of the men's basketball team at Texas Tech University...
began a tournament in his honor held in College Station, Texas
College Station, Texas
College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio...
, titled the Shelby Metcalf Classic.
Metcalf died on February 8, 2007 from cancer. He was survived by his widow, Janis, and their daughter, Shelley Metcalf Valerius.