Gene Shue
Two-Time NBA Coach of the Year | Two NBA Finals Appearances | 784 Coaching Wins
Eugene William “Gene” Shue was born December 18, 1931, in Baltimore, Maryland. A five-time NBA All-Star as a guard, he began his NBA coaching career with the Baltimore Bullets in 1966.
Shue led the Bullets to the 1971 NBA Finals and later guided the Philadelphia 76ers to the 1977 Finals. He won NBA Coach of the Year awards in 1969 and 1982, the latter during a second stint with the Bullets franchise in Washington.
He coached 1,645 NBA regular-season games, winning 784 and losing 861, with stops in Baltimore, Philadelphia, San Diego, Washington and Los Angeles.
Shue died April 3, 2022, at age 90.
- Overall Coaching Record: 784-861
Coaching Career
Shue was hired during 1966-67 and went 16-40 over his first 56 games. Baltimore improved to 36-46 in 1967-68, then surged to a league-leading 57-25 in 1968-69, earning him NBA Coach of the Year.
The Bullets reached the 1971 NBA Finals behind Wes Unseld, Earl Monroe and other core players, losing the championship series to Milwaukee.
Shue remained with Baltimore through the 1972-73 season. Across his first seven seasons with the Bullets franchise, he went 291-257.
Notable Players Coached
- Wes Unseld
- Hall of Fame center and 1969 NBA MVP
- Earl Monroe
- Hall of Fame guard and 1968 Rookie of the Year
- Gus Johnson
- Five-time NBA All-Star forward
Shue took over a Philadelphia team recovering from a disastrous nine-win 1972-73 season. His first 76ers club went 25-57, then rose to 34-48 and 46-36.
With Julius Erving, George McGinnis and Doug Collins, Philadelphia reached the 1977 NBA Finals before losing to Jack Ramsay’s Portland Trail Blazers.
Shue began 1977-78 at 2-4 and was replaced. His Philadelphia record was 157-177 over 334 games.
Notable Players Coached
- Julius Erving
- Hall of Fame forward and 1981 NBA MVP
- George McGinnis
- Hall of Fame forward and former ABA MVP
- Doug Collins
- Four-time NBA All-Star guard
Shue returned to the NBA with the San Diego Clippers for the 1978-79 season. His first team went 43-39 but narrowly missed the playoffs.
San Diego finished 35-47 in 1979-80, concluding Shue’s two-year stint at 78-86. He then returned to coach the Bullets franchise, now playing in Washington.
Notable Players Coached
- World B. Free
- High-scoring All-Star guard
- Randy Smith
- Veteran All-Star guard and former Buffalo Brave
- Bill Walton
- Hall of Fame center whose Clippers tenure was severely limited by injuries
Shue began his second tenure with the Bullets franchise in 1980-81, this time in Washington. The club went 39-43 in his first season.
Washington finished 43-39 in 1981-82 and returned to the playoffs, earning Shue his second NBA Coach of the Year award.
He coached the team through 69 games of 1985-86 and was dismissed after a 32-37 start that season. The second Bullets appointment added 231 wins and 248 losses.
Notable Players Coached
- Jeff Ruland
- Two-time NBA All-Star center
- Rick Mahorn
- Defensive-minded center-forward
- Greg Ballard
- Longtime Washington forward
Shue’s final NBA head-coaching post came with the Los Angeles Clippers in 1987-88, a 17-65 season.
He started 1988-89 at 10-28 before being replaced, ending the appointment at 27-93 and his entire NBA coaching career at 784-861.
Notable Players Coached
- Danny Manning
- 1988 No. 1 overall draft selection
- Benoit Benjamin
- Starting center and frequent double-double producer
- Norm Nixon
- Former All-Star point guard in the Clippers organization