After a tough nignt in Lubbock when the Tceh fans were throwing coins from the stands at the Aggie basketball players, a reporter asked Shelby about it. Shelby replied, "I told my players to show some class, and not pick up anything less than a quarter."

"Son, looks to me like you're spending too much time on one subject." (recounting what he told a player who received four F's and one D)

love aston's.

After recruiting John Reynolds (lettered '64 & '65) by taking him fishing for two days on the Brazos:

"You just can’t get real good players with catfish anymore."

Metcalf recruited Darryl McDonald, better known as "D-Mack the Playground King" in the late ’80s out Harlem. Despite Harlem’s rough reputation, Metcalf’s biggest obstacle in recruiting D-Mack was convincing him that College Station was a safe enough place.

"He was scared to death of those gun racks in the back of all those pick-up trucks," Metcalf said with a laugh. "I finally convinced him that if he was OK in Harlem, he’d be just fine here."

I owe this one to Luke:

After signing Claude Riley, the Crockett Rocket, Shelby said, "I'm just glad he wasn't from Tucker."

When recruiting a New York City kid, the cab they were driving in went by Grand Central Station (which looked run down from the outside). Shelby asked the recruit "Is that place still operating?"

The recruit replied "Go in there with your gold watch and rings and find out if it is still operating!"

put the referees on the All Opponent team one year.

When told that a starter was not attending class regularly, Shelby told a faculty member, "Flunk him."

"I knew (former Texas Tech coach) Gene Gibson really wanted Matson, too, so I would drive eight or nine hours to Pampa just to tell Matson, ‘Hey Randy, I was just in the neighborhood...’ Hell, Gene only had an hour’s drive from Lubbock.

"Randy was a hell of an athlete, and it was track season so he was throwing the shot put. I got in great shape when I was recruiting him, because the only way I could spend any good time with him was to retrieve his shot put throws during track practice. I’d do that for an hour or two, wait for Randy to shower and then take him out for an ice cream. You could do that back in those days. After all that, I would drive back to College Station. It made for a long day."

But it worked. Matson signed with the Aggies, and he nearly averaged double figures in points and rebounds his first season in 1965-66.

I gotta get me a glass bottom boat, so when I run over Abe Lemons I can see his face.

Follow up to the John Reynolds recruiting/fishing trip story in previous post:

One of them, but perhaps Reynolds’ proudest A&M athletic moment came many years later. Possum Walk (Reynold's hometown) is very close to Groveton, and Reynolds eventually became the superintendent of the Groveton Independent School District. It was there where Reynolds helped influence a talented young running back named Rodney Thomas to go to Texas A&M.

Said Metcalf: "Turned out to be a pretty productive fishing trip when you throw Rodney Thomas into the mix, don’t you think?"

Years ago, the Ags played the 'sips in G. Rollie. It was Shelby v Abe Lemons, another all time funny coach. The referees were terrible--equally bad calls going against both teams. Both coaches had received a technical for arguing calls. I was sitting in the bleachers behind the tu team and we were even agreeing verbally with Lemons that some of the calls against tu were really bad. During a time out, Shelby and Lemons looked at each other, smiled and walked to the middle of the scorere's table. In loud enough voices (that we could hear) they discussed in some detail just how bad the referees were. A ref was holding the ball and standing about six feet from them. He turned red and then redder--but knew that his choice was to pretend not to hear them or throw both coaches out of the game. After a minute, Shelby and Abe shook hands, walked back to their benches and the game continued to a merciful end.

Shelby had a few players one year who were having trouble academically. So he enrolled them in basket weaving to get their grade points up. Shelby commented, "Problem was, a couple of them were American-Indians, and they set such a high curve that they flunked the others out."

After John David fired him, the media asked Shelby what happened. Shelby said something along the lines of "I made a comment that I didn't think John David was all that bright. And I thought I was being generous."

Another story from Shelby about Abe Lemons (Former t.u. coach)

"Abe was playing Arkansas and the game was in Fayetteville. The game was going badly for the Longhorns and the officiating was one-sided according to Abe. During a time-out, Abe walked up to the head official and asked 'If I called you a son-of-a-*****, would you give me a technical?'. The official responded, 'Why, yes, in that instance, I would have to give you a technical foul'. Abe then asked, 'What if I just THOUGHT you were a son-of-a-*****, would you still give me a technical?'. The offical said, 'I can't give you a technical just because of something that you think'. Abe then said, 'OK, I think you are a son-of-a-*****!'. The official was so flustered he didn't know what to do, but he didn't give Abe a technical."

"The only happy Aggie is an unhappy Aggie"

We recruited a kid out of Louisiana named Smart. Shelby loved nicknames and started calling him "Plenty." Shortly before the first semester was over he found out why we were calling him "Notto."

If you are going to make fun of a kid for being "notto" Smart you might want to not leave yourself open for comments about your own intelligence.

I believe it would be "nottoo" Smart.

He once voted the clock operator at Tech to the All SWC Team

"I'd like a half-a-dozen of your glazed donuts."

During High School, I worked at a Shipley's Donuts in Bryan. Shelby rolled through the drive-thru many a time!

wasn't shelby who made the remark after slocum was fired by ex cia boss gates,"he's lucky ,he could have just disappeared".

hmm...donuts

In the old days Saturday afternoon was reserved for the SWC Game of the Week. After a great game at G. Rollie in which the Ags beat a ranked team (Cougar High or Ark.)in OT as I recall, kids were running all over the court and the announcer got to Shelby and excitedly congratulated him on the big win. Shelby stood in his suit, arms crossed and in his deadpan drawl said "Well ya know, never a dull moment here in Aggieland". Priceless and classic Shelby. I thought about that after we beat tu this year.

ttt
The Shelby thread reminded me of this one.

Get well soon, coach. Lots of folks think lots of you.

One time when asked about the fans

"One day they're naming a street after ya...the next day they're chasin you down it"

When the Ags won the conference tourament in '87, they were seeded 16th in the NCAA, and drew #1 seeded Duke. When asked how he liked the Aggie's chances aginst Duke in the basketball game, Shelby replied, " I like our chances against them in basketball a lot better than if we had to take them on in the College Bowl(the brainy quiz competion between college teams)."

somebody asked shelby at a booster meeting one day-which southwest conference team has th e worst fans- shelby said that it was rice-he said that at one game which was close all the way that a bunch of rice fans sitting right behind the team were yelling profanities at the team all night and late in the 2nd half some rice fan yelled" shelby eats ****" shelby said he called the team together and said "ok! which one of you guys told them"

Supposedly, to get the team to fire out of the dressing room for a second half against an opponent who had dominated them in the first, Shelby quipped "last guys out have to start!"

I always liked the grimace on his face, which prompted one sports commentator to say that it always looked like Shelby wore shoes that were two sizes too tight.

"Keys to success this season stay happy, healthy and out of foul trouble", I think he said this every year.

not really a great quote, but a cool shelby story:

in the mid-80's, a&m played in a 4 team tournament at san francisco university (i was around 10 or 11 years old at the time). my older brother was an aggie at the time, and my family was living in san francisco. my older sister (a damn tech grad) took me to the a&m locker room to get autographs, and shelby and radar ricke were the only ones in there. shelby got one look at my a&m outfit and started talking up a storm. he said that if it was alright with my dad, i could sit on the a&m bench for the game. holy smokes...

so i sit on the bench the whole game (an a&m win) and obviously had the time of my life. the next night was the championship game, and i was in the stands again with my mom and dad. the aggie team runs out onto the court, and shelby looks around the gym until he spots me. he motions for me to come down to the court and join the team again! he said i was his good luck charm, and i felt like the freaking 6th man.

i ran into radar when i was a fish in the aggie band in '94 at kyle and told him that story and he remembered every detail about it, including daryl mcdaniel (sp?) making me wipe up sweat on the court with my 12th man towel.

One of my good friends played for Shelby. He was a walk on and then earned a scholly. Well, after a long bumpy turbulent plane ride, my friend was feeling pretty air sick and nauseous. I guess he was looking pretty green on this little charter plane that they happened to be flying on. Well Shelby walks up to him and asks him, “Boy, wants wrong with you?” My friend replied, “Coach, I am dizzy, sweaty, and nauseous. I think I might throw up." At which Shelby replied “Now you know how I feel every time I have to put you in a game." That is classic Shelby. My favorite story ever!

Mookie awesome story. Even better that you wiped up sweat for D-Mac

Keep them coming. I could read Shelby quotes all night long.

Someone should write a book.