Bio
RJ. Dallas Shirley became the first inductee to the SoCon Hall of Fame in the category of special contributor. Indeed, he dedicated the majority of his life to the advancement of both basketball officiating and the Southern Conference. He was repeatedly recognized as one of the most preeminent authorities on basketball officiating for more than four decades.
Born in Washington, D.C. and educated at George Washington University where he was a member of the basketball team, Shirley began calling games as a way to earn extra money during the Great Depression. He eventually worked more than 2,000 games until retiring as an active official in 1966.
He was the head of basketball officials at the 1959 Pan American Games and was the only American chosen to officiate at the 1960 Olympics in Rome, where the United States won a gold medal led by Oscar Robertson and Jerry West. He was named associate commissioner and coordinator of officials for the SoCon in 1967 and would spend 21 years serving in this capacity from an office close to his home in Virginia. He also spent many years on the college basketball rules committee.
In 1980, he was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. He eventually retired from his duties with the SoCon in 1988. Dallas Shirley passed away in March of 1994 at the age of 80.