{{Short description|American basketball player and coach}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2011}} {{Infobox basketball biography | name = Bill Chambers | image = | image_size = | caption = | number = 32 | position = [[Center (basketball)|Center]] | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 4 | weight_lb = | league = | team = | team_link = | birth_date = {{birth date|1930|12|13}} | birth_place = [[Lynchburg, Virginia]], U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2017|7|11|1930|12|13}} | death_place = [[Alexander City, Alabama]], U.S. | high_school = {{nowrap|[[E. C. Glass High School|E. C. Glass]] (Lynchburg, Virginia)}} | college = [[William & Mary Tribe men's basketball|William & Mary]] (1950–1953) | draft_year = 1953 | draft_round = – | draft_pick = – | draft_team = [[Minneapolis Lakers]] | team1 = | cyears1 = 1953–1954 | cteam1 = [[Warwick High School (Newport News)|Warwick HS]] | cyears2 = 1954–1957 | cteam2 = [[Newport News High School|Newport News HS]] | cyears3 = 1957–1966 | cteam3 = [[William & Mary Tribe men's basketball|William & Mary]] | highlights = * [[List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 30 or more rebounds in a game|NCAA record for rebounds in a game]] (51) * 2× Second-team All-[[Southern Conference|SoCon]] (1952, 1953) * No. 32 [[William & Mary Tribe men's basketball#Retired jerseys|retired by William & Mary Tribe]] }}
'''William B. Chambers''' (December 13, 1930 – July 11, 2017) was an American [[college basketball]] player and coach for the [[William & Mary Tribe men's basketball|William & Mary Tribe]].<ref name=HOF>[http://www.vshfm.com/hall/induct_chambers.html HOF Inductees 1995: Bill Chambers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228235503/http://vshfm.com/hall/induct_chambers.html |date=February 28, 2008 }}. Accessed March 19, 2008.</ref>
==Playing career==
===High school=== He attended [[E. C. Glass High School]] in [[Lynchburg, Virginia]] where he led his team to a state championship and an undefeated season (22–0) during his senior year.<ref name=HOF/>
===William & Mary=== Chambers then went on to play collegiately for the [[College of William & Mary]] in [[Williamsburg, Virginia]] from 1950 to 1953. He earned all-state, All-[[Southern Conference]] and Helms [[NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|All-American]] status while playing for the Tribe. On February 14 of his senior year, Chambers set an [[NCAA]] single game [[rebound (basketball)|rebound]] record of 51 against the [[University of Virginia]].<ref name=HOF/> It is a record that still stands to this day. He was also selected as Virginia's Outstanding Collegiate Basketball Player that same year.<ref name=PDF>[http://www.tribeathletics.com/files/mbb/2008/MediaGuide/0708mbbguide(71-90).pdf William & Mary 2007–08 Media Guide – All-Time Stats & Players] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705045632/http://www.tribeathletics.com/files/mbb/2008/MediaGuide/0708mbbguide%2871-90%29.pdf |date=July 5, 2008 }}. Accessed March 19, 2008.</ref>
Chambers ended his William & Mary career with 1,456 points. He also set the [[Virginia]] schools' record for rebounds in a single season when he grabbed 509 in 1951–52.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20240727030434/http://www.ferrum.edu/athletics/VaSID/Records/Men%27s%20Division%201.doc Virginia Basketball Records: Men's Division I Individual Records]. Accessed March 19, 2008.</ref> His jersey number (#32) was retired and now hangs in the rafters of [[Kaplan Arena]].<ref name=PDF/>
===NBA=== In the [[1953 NBA draft]], Chambers was selected by the [[Minneapolis Lakers]] as their 11th pick.<ref name=PDF/> Despite the selection, he was cut by the Lakers during preseason.
==Coaching career== In 1957, Chambers returned to his alma mater to coach his former team after several years of highly successful high school coaching.<ref name=HOF/> Over the course of the next nine seasons (six of which were winning years), he compiled at 113–110 career record, a win total not surpassed by any other W&M men's basketball coach until [[Tony Shaver]] passed the mark in February 2013.<ref name=PDF/><ref name=CSN>{{cite web|title=Tribe Sweeps Season Series with ODU as Tony Shaver Sets W&M Wins Mark |url=http://www.csnwashington.com/ncaa/tribe-sweeps-season-series-odu-tony-shaver-sets-wm-wins-mark |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130408010558/http://www.csnwashington.com/ncaa/tribe-sweeps-season-series-odu-tony-shaver-sets-wm-wins-mark |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 8, 2013 |publisher=Comcast SportsNet Washington |accessdate=February 19, 2013 }}</ref> The most notable win during his tenure was on January 30, 1960, when his unranked Tribe defeated No. 4 [[West Virginia University]] 94–86. The win broke the Mountaineers' 56-game Southern Conference winning streak.<ref name=PDF/> For his accomplishments, Chambers has been inducted into the William & Mary Hall of Fame. In 1995, Chambers was also inducted into the [[Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum|Virginia Sports Hall of Fame]].<ref name=HOF/>
===Head coaching record=== {{CBB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | conference = | postseason = | poll = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Subhead | name = [[William & Mary Tribe men's basketball|William & Mary Indians]]<ref name="Tribe media guide">{{cite web|title=2011-12 Tribe Men's Basketball Media Supplement|url=http://www.tribeathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=25100&ATCLID=205317893|publisher=College of William & Mary|accessdate=February 13, 2015}}</ref> | conference = [[Southern Conference]] | startyear = 1957 | endyear = 1966 }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | season = [[1957–58 NCAA University Division men's basketball season|1957–58]] | name = [[1957–58 William & Mary Indians men's basketball team|William & Mary]] | overall = 15–14 | conference = 9–9 | confstanding = 5th | postseason = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | season = [[1958–59 NCAA University Division men's basketball season|1958–59]] | name = [[1958–59 William & Mary Indians men's basketball team|William & Mary]] | overall = 13–11 | conference = 7–7 | confstanding = 4th }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | season = [[1959–60 NCAA University Division men's basketball season|1959–60]] | name = William & Mary | overall = 15–11 | conference = 10–5 | confstanding = 3rd }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | season = [[1960–61 NCAA University Division men's basketball season|1960–61]] | name = William & Mary | overall = 14–10 | conference = 9–6 | confstanding = 4th }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | season = [[1961–62 NCAA University Division men's basketball season|1961–62]] | name = William & Mary | overall = 7–17 | conference = 5–11 | confstanding = T–8th }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | season = [[1962–63 NCAA University Division men's basketball season|1962–63]] | name = William & Mary | overall = 15–9 | conference = 10–5 | confstanding = 3rd }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | season = [[1963–64 NCAA University Division men's basketball season|1963–64]] | name = William & Mary | overall = 9–13 | conference = 5–9 | confstanding = 7th }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | season = [[1964–65 NCAA University Division men's basketball season|1964–65]] | name = William & Mary | overall = 12–13 | conference = 6–8 | confstanding = 6th }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | season = [[1965–66 NCAA University Division men's basketball season|1965–66]] | name = William & Mary | overall = 13–12 | conference = 8–3 | confstanding = 3rd }} {{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal | name = William & Mary | overall = {{Winning percentage|113|110|record=y}} | confrecord = {{Winning percentage|69|63|record=y}} }} {{CBB Yearly Record End | overall = {{Winning percentage|113|110|record=y}} | confrecord = | legend = no }}
==Later years and death== After retiring from coaching in 1966, Chambers worked in sales and management for the [[Converse (shoe company)|Converse shoe company]] and later became a salesman of sporting goods in Florida. In 1990, he was appointed vice president of sales for [[Russell Brands|Russell Athletic]].<ref name="Chambers">{{cite web |url=http://www.richmond.com/sports/former-w-m-star-bill-chambers-ncaa-record-holder-with/article_be14690c-398b-5da3-8dab-bb77e81b9456.html |title=Former W&M star Bill Chambers, NCAA record-holder with 51 rebounds in a game, dies |last=O'Connor |first=John |date=July 15, 2017 |work=[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]] |access-date=July 16, 2017}}</ref>
Chambers died on July 11, 2017, in [[Alexander City, Alabama]], following a lengthy battle with [[Parkinson's disease]]. He was 86.<ref name="Chambers" />
==See also== *[[List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 30 or more rebounds in a game]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/no-4-in-the-untouchables-bill-chambers-51-rebounds-in-a-single-game?urn=ncaab,wp11985 "No. 4 in The Untouchables: Bill Chambers’ 51 rebounds in a single game"] @ Rivals.com
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