Shields To Be Inducted Into Plano Hall of Fame

Fifty years is a long time to do anything, but this year will mark the 50th year of Hardin-Simmons defensive line and junior varsity coach Sam Shields to coach football at some level.

That achievement, along with being a letterman in basketball, baseball and track at Plano High School has earned Shields a big distinction – he will be inducted into the Plano Independent School district Hall of Fame on Sunday.

“This is a pretty big deal for me,” said Shields. “To be honored by a place that I went to school and spent a lot of my coaching career is special.”

After Plano, Shields went on to earn 14 letters at Austin College, where he graduated in 1960. He was inducted into the AC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1983.

Following his distinguished career at Austin College, he took to being a coach immediately and he has not stopped since. He worked at various places in his career and was the head coach at Jacksonville, Nacogdoches and in San Antonio.

He also worked at Plano East and Plano Senior High School and in 1992 he was the offensive line coach for the Dallas Texans of the Arena League and his team allowed the fewest sacks in the league under his tutelage.

In 1995, he came to Hardin-Simmons to coach the defensive line and he took over the junior varsity in 1997. He remained at HSU through the 2001 season, before returning back to Plano to coach in the high school ranks.

He returned to Hardin-Simmons for the 2008 season and is the junior varsity and defensive line coach.

“Sam is just one of those coaches that kids respond to,” said HSU head coach Jimmie Keeling. “Our players love to listen to Sam and he always has a way of getting his point across. He has been a great asset to our program.”

Shields is known for his physical fitness and a regime that usually begins with an early morning workout at the HSU Fieldhouse, a place that he has used as his residence since being a member of the HSU staff.