William H. "Bill" Shellenberger, the former Lynchburg College men's coach who received the NSCAA's Honor Award in 1989, passed away on Monday, Sept. 7, 2009. He was 88 years old.

Shellenberger founded the Lynchburg College soccer program in 1954, becoming the fourth school in the state of Virginia to compete in men's soccer. He recorded 31 consecutive winning seasons (1956-87) while building one of the most impressive records in intercollegiate soccer. His teams were victorious in 371 matches, against only 167 losses and 48 ties, a .674 winning percentage. Twenty years after his retirement from coaching he still was ranked among the top 30 men's coaches for all-time victories.

He was presented the NSCAA's Honor Award in 1989, the same year he stepped down as Lynchburg's coach. He was inducted into the NSCAA Hall of Fame in 1995 and had also received the Bill Jeffrey Award for long-term service to intercollegiate soccer in 1978, when the award was presented by the Intercollegiate Soccer Association of America.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 12, in Snidow Chapel on the Lynchburg College campus.

Related Links

• Lynchburg College news release
• Article in Lynchburg News and Advance
• Article in Roanoke (Va.) Times
• 1978 Sports Illustrated article

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