It has been 40 years since Shelly Kay from Whitharral, Texas played in the 1986 NAIA women's basketball tournament held in Kansas City, Missouri.
Queens in the sixth annual tournament held by the NAIA to determine the national champion of women's college basketball. Key earned the tournament’s Hustle Award.
Though the team was defeated by Francis Marion 75-65, the team was second in the nation after advancing to the finals and beating Charleston (WV), Saginaw Valley and Louisiana College. The Flying Queens advanced to the finals after beating teams from Charleston (WV), Saginaw Valley and Louisiana College.
Kay was a standout basketball player during her four years at Wayland, holding the Flying Queens single-game assist record with 21 assists against Dallas Baptist on Feb. 16, 1987, and recorded 266 assists during the 1986–87 season (team record). She was also named an American Women’s Sports Federation All-American, is on the all-time roster of the Flying Queens and is recognized in the Flying Queens Museum in Plainview.
Additional honors and records from her career include being a member of the 1987 National quarterfinalist team, part of District 8 championship teams (1985, 1986, 1987), All-District 8 (1987), team record of 10 steals vs. Schreiner on Feb. 7, 1986, single-season steals record (101) in 1985–1986, career steals record (200) from 1985–1987, and NAIA Tournament record for single-game assists and steals.
After Wayland, Kay continued her education at Georgia Southern University, the US Sports Academy and Texas Tech University. She went on to spend 33 years as a coach and teacher in Texas and New Mexico, impacting generations of students and athletes before retiring in 2018.
Kay joined Levelland ISD in 2017 to lead the Levelland Loboettes in 2017, bringing her vast experience in coaching many high school sports, including volleyball, basketball, track and tennis. Originally hired as a teacher and coach for Levelland Middle School, she moved up to become the head volleyball coach and health teacher when Coach Karli Morrison left the volleyball program for Lubbock Cooper ISD.
Prior to LISD, she was affiliated with Whitharral High School and later coached at Dora High School, New Mexico.
She is the daughter of Wylie and Doris Kay, longtime residents of Hockley County.