I think Shelby played on two state championship teams, and one national championship team at Kentucky. He played for the legendary coach at Middletown, Paul Walker, who brought state wide prominence in basketball to Middletown. Later on, Walker coached Jerry Lucas.
Why Shelby Linville? I was an avid basketball fan in those days, spent many an hour at the old fairgrounds coliseum. High school on Friday and Saturday, Sunday, a visiting touring team, or in those days, Industrial Teams, got to see all the greats in those days. Cousey, George Miken, the old Globetrotters, "Sweetwater" Clifton.
But I still remember the first time I saw Shelby Linville. A regional tournament game, not sure who Middletown was playing, but in walked the Middletown team. Shelby had some sort of a charisma about him, he looked like a basketball player, he walked like a basketball player, he became an icon to me, I have judged many people over the years by their comparison to him.
His obituary, August 5, 2008 .......
Shelby Linville, who played on Kentucky's 1950-51 national championship basketball team, has died in Ohio. He was 78.
Phil Linville says his father died of cancer Tuesday at a nursing home in Middletown.
Linville's Middletown High School team won two state championships in the 1940s, and he was a member of the school's athletic hall of fame.
Linville was a teacher and coach at several schools and was a Baptist minister for more than 40 years. His son says he continued to conduct Bible studies at his home in Middletown until he entered the nursing home this Spring.
Linville is survived by his wife, Yvonne; three sons; 10 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
He was someone I remembered when the occasions arose, or something would flash back to an earlier time and place. He impacted my life in some ways, he didn't know it, and we never met.
An interesting interview with Shelby
An interesting interview with Shelby
