Gene Shue

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Shue was born on December 18, 1931, in Baltimore, Maryland. He grew up in the city's Govans neighborhood and attended Towson Catholic High School. He played college basketball at the University of Maryland, where he broke all school scoring records and made the All-ACC team. He was drafted third overall in the 1954 NBA draft by the Philadelphia Warriors. After his playing career, he became a long-serving coach for three franchises. With his first tenure with the Baltimore Bullets, Shue coached the team for seven seasons and won four division championships with five playoff berths, with one trip to the NBA Finals in 1971. He resigned at the end of the 1972-73 season and soon became coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, where he helped the team rise in victories to where they won 50 games and reached the NBA Finals in 1977, where they lost in a six-game series to Portland. After six games of the 1977-78 season, Shue was fired. Shue was the first coach of the newly relocated San Diego Clippers in 1978. His first season resulted in 44 wins, which ended up being the high-water mark for the franchise until 1992; Shue was fired after the second season. Shue returned to coach the Bullets in 1980, reaching the post-season three times in six seasons but never winning more than 43 games before the Clippers (now in Los Angeles) hired him to coach in 1987, where he closed his tenure as a coach with 27 wins in 120 total games. While Shue had a total record of 784–861 as a head coach, he was awarded NBA Coach of the Year in 1969 and 1982; he is one of just twelve coaches to win multiple Coach of the Year awards.

In Their Own Story

Shue's coaching tenure with the Bullets began on December 5, 1966, when he took over a 4–21 team mid-season, finishing that year at 16–40. Two seasons later, he led the franchise to its first winning season and the best record in the league. The peak of this era arrived in 1970–71 with an Eastern Conference Championship; Shue recalled Game 7 against the New York Knicks as among his most memorable, noting how they won on the road after losing the previous three games. Despite reaching the NBA Finals that year, they were swept by Milwaukee's Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson. His relationship with Baltimore ended when he resigned in June 1973, stating, "Living and coaching in Baltimore was a beautiful situation. Now it is just not the same." He returned to coach the Bullets in 1980 after a stint in Philadelphia where he reached the 1977 Finals but lost to Portland.

Reader's Guide

Shue's coaching career spanned over 22 years. He developed a reputation for helping bad teams become competitive. His first coaching stint began with the Baltimore Bullets on December 5, 1966, taking over a 4–21 team. He led the franchise to the best record in the league two seasons later, and guided the Bullets to the NBA Finals in 1971. He resigned on June 8, 1973, uncomfortable with the franchise's move to the Washington, D.C. suburbs. He then coached the Philadelphia 76ers, leading them to the NBA Finals in 1977. After being fired six games into the 1977-78 season, he became the first coach of the San Diego Clippers in 1978. He returned to coach the Bullets in 1980, and later coached the Los Angeles Clippers from 1987.

Did You Know?

• Shue was an NBA All-Star in five consecutive years from 1958 to 1962.
• He won NBA Coach of the Year twice, in 1969 and 1982.
• His first season with the San Diego Clippers produced 44 wins, a franchise high until 1992.
• Shue coached the Baltimore Bullets for seven seasons, from December 5, 1966, to the end of the 1972-73 season.