Bill Shay, who coached for nearly 4 decades at Community College of Allegheny County, dies
Players from all over western Pennsylvania wanted to play for one man.
That one man was Bill Shay.
The winningest basketball coach in Western Pennsylvania history, Shay died on Friday. He was 88.
“A soldier has passed,” said Larry DiCicco, a North Side native who lives in Mt. Lebanon, and played for Shay from 1973-75. “I have so many fond memories of coach Shay. He was truly a fighter.”
A former U.S. Marine, Shay was tough, but he also was fair, said DiCicco. Shay fought for his players on and off the court. The Mt. Lebanon resident coached an estimated 400 to 450 players over nearly four decades at the Community College of Allegheny County on Pittsburgh’s North Side from 1969 until he retired in 2009.
Shay was known as a gym rat, a player who spends pretty much every waking moment in a gym. He led CCAC for 39 seasons. His career record was 803-358. Every win came at Community College of Allegheny County.
Loyalty kept him there even though he could have gone on to lead Division I, II and III programs.
Arkansas men’s basketball coach John Calipari said the western Pennsylvania basketball community lost an icon, a true gentleman, friend, husband and a father, and a mentor. Shay was someone who transcended basketball, Calipari said.
“To sustain what he did for the period of time he did … he had opportunities to go to other schools,” said Calipari, a Moon native. “But that is not what he wanted. He built a dynasty at CCAC. I will miss his smile. His tombstone won’t have his win- loss record, but what people will talk about is his legacy, one that we all aspire to have and be like coach Shay was. He was a true warrior who lasted the test of time.”
Just got word that Bill Shay, formerly the longtime head coach at the Community College of Allegheny county in Pittsburgh, passed away this morning.
He was an icon, a mentor, a friend. A coach that all of us in western PA aspired to be. Built a dynasty in Pittsburgh and had many…
— John Calipari (@CoachCalArk) October 11, 2024
Herb Sendek, men’s basketball coach at Santa Clara University in California, said there was no one else like Shay. Shay was an iconic person, a true giant and the consummate gentleman filled with consideration and kindness, Sendek said.
“I think about how many people he helped day in and day out,” said Sendek, a Pittsburgh native. “He made a significant and everlasting difference in our lives. And he did it without fanfare.”
As a physical education teacher, Shay would hold early morning workouts for students who were more comfortable in that setting, Sendek said. All of Shay’s practices started on time and ended on time so that the Pittsburgh Steelwheelers could practice. Shay helped helped organize the Pittsburgh Steelwheelers, a paraplegic wheelchair basketball team in 1977. He also was director of physical education at the Sarah Heinz House on Pittsburgh’s North Side.
Dan Landy, a Beechview native who lives in Scott and played for Shay from 1975-77 said everything Shay did was for others.
“It was never for himself,” Landy said. “I thought he would live forever because he had such a big heart.”
Last November, Shay’s players and friends from the basketball community raised money to honor him with a bronze bust that is displayed at CCAC.
“We got to celebrate him last year,” DiCicco said. “He means so much that he was recognized for everything he did for us. And that he was there to experience that moment.”
DiCicco said they’ve opened a GoFundMe page to raise money for a memorial scholarship for a CCAC student-athlete in Shay’s name as another way to celebrate a life well lived and to keep Shay’s legacy alive.
The bust was made in Italy. Matthews International Corp. oversaw the creative process. It was mounted on a granite pedestal by Gaydos Monument Co. in Canonsburg, which also handled the installation. The sculpture is displayed in the Community College of Allegheny County’s field house lobby, where Shay walked through to reach the court.
Basketball became Shay’s passion watching his older brothers shoot hoops on the playground growing up in Forest Hills, N.Y. There would be pickup games, and the winning teams stayed on the court.
“So, I practiced a lot,” Shay told TribLive last year.
He came to Pittsburgh via Pitt, where he played basketball. He taught physical education classes and some other classes at Community College of Allegheny County.
Shay credited the players with his longevity and success. He said he was grateful for every one of them.
“They are the reason I stayed coaching as long as I did,” he said. “They did all the work. I just tried not to screw it up. I look up to these guys.”
Two people who definitely looked up to Shay were his daughters, Kyle Shay and Erin Hynds.
Hynds, of Upper St. Clair, said her dad will forever be her hero. She, her husband Steve, her sister and their mother Cindy’s lives are forever changed.
“This is a tremendous, tremendous loss,” Hynds said.
Former players have already begun to share stories of Shay, Hynds said. One of those was when a fellow Marine was in Shay’s classroom and challenged Shay to a pull-up contest. A pull-up is an upper-body exercise where a person pulls up their body on a bar. Shay said if he did one more pull-up than the student would he promise to never skip class again.
The student did 50. Shay did 51, and did them all one handed.
“My dad earned that student’s respect,” Hynds said. “My dad always wanted the best for everyone who came into his life.”
During one of their final conversations Hynds told her dad she loved him.
“He said, ‘I love you, too,’” Hynds said, as she teared up. “I am going to miss him immensely. He was such a good human. I hope to carry some of the wonderful things he did with me. He touched so many people. His strength will always be remembered. He was a bright star. I am going to hold those memories with me forever. I never want to let them go.”
Funeral arrangements are entrusted to the care of Laughlin Cremation & Funeral Tributes in Mt. Lebanon.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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