Bridgewater College

VIDEO: MELVIN MYERS HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY

Melvin Myers entered Bridgewater College in the fall of 1948 and quickly made a mark in the B.C. Track & Field record book when he set a freshman record of 21-6 in the long jump during the spring of the 1949 season. A three-sport athlete during his undergraduate days as an Eagle, Melvin participated in football, basketball and track & field. He led the football squad in rushing yardage and scoring and played halfback on offense and safety on defense. Due to his agility on the gridiron, his teammates gave him his famed nickname of "Shifty".

Shifty excelled in track & field, participating in the Long Jump, 110 High Hurdles, 220 Low Hurdles, High Jump and Pole Vault. He set long standing school records of 22'-2.5" in the long jump and 24.3 seconds in the 220 Low Hurdles. In 1952, he was the leading scorer in helping B.C. win the Little Six and Mason-Dixon Conference Championships. Shifty led the squad to four consecutive Virginia Little Six Outdoor Track titles from 1949-52. He graduated in 1952 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and was a member of the first Bridgewater graduating class to acquire a major in Physical Education. He received his Masters of Science degree from West Virginia University in 1958 and subsequently completed 15 hours of Doctoral work at the University of Maryland.

Melvin devoted his entire 33-year career to education and coaching, at the High School and Collegiate levels. He spent his first 10 years coaching High School basketball and his teams reached the Maryland State Finals, Virginia State Semi-finals and he gained State Coach of the Year honors twice. Melvin returned to Bridgewater College in 1962 as the head basketball coach and spent the next 23 years coaching the Eagles. He took the team to the 1967 Mason-Dixon Tournament finals. Shifty guided the Eagles to three Interstate Conference Championships in the 1970s and was voted the ODAC and Virginia State Coach of the Year in 1984. He retired as the all-time winningest Bridgewater College men's basketball head coach with 236 victories in 1985.

His undying loyalty as a student, athlete and coach of Bridgewater College made Melvin "Shifty" Myers an outstanding selection to the Bridgewater College Athletic Hall of Fame.