Rube McCray

Ruben North McCray (June 13, 1904 – November 20, 1972) was the head football, men's basketball, and baseball coach at the College of William & Mary. He also served as their athletic director. Later in life he became a community leader in Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina, winning the state's top Civilian award for "outstanding service."

Rube McCray
McCray pictured in Colonial Echo 1947, William & Mary yearbook
Biographical details
Born(1904-06-13)June 13, 1904
Greeneville, Tennessee
DiedNovember 20, 1972(1972-11-20) (aged 68)
Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina
Playing career
1926–1930Kentucky Wesleyan (football, basketball, baseball)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1931–1938Tennessee Wesleyan
1939–1943William & Mary (assistant)
1944–1950William & Mary
Basketball
1931–1939Tennessee Wesleyan
1939–1943William & Mary (assistant)
1943–1945William & Mary
Baseball
1939–1941William & Mary
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1944–1951William & Mary
Head coaching record
Bowls1–1
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Football
1 SoCon (1947)

McCray came to William & Mary in 1939 when Carl Voyles became head football coach. McCray's primary football responsibility was recruiting and working with the freshmen. He became head football coach in 1944, serving through the 1950 season and compiling a 45–22 record. He is second all-time in school history for career coaching wins behind Jimmye Laycock. He also served as head coach for the William & Mary's men's basketball team from 1943 to 1945.[1] He compiled an overall record of 17–21 (4–7 in the Southern Conference).[1]

McCray's best football teams at William & Mary were in 1947 (9–2) with a trip to the Dixie Bowl in Birmingham, Alabama against Arkansas, and in 1948 (7–2–2) and another bowl trip to Memphis, Tennessee in the Delta Bowl against Oklahoma A&M. The Indians lost to Arkansas 21–19, but defeated Oklahoma A&M 20–0.

Prior to coming to William & Mary he coached eight years at Tennessee Wesleyan College, where his teams won six championships and once had a streak of 23 straight victories. His 1938 team won the national junior college football championship.

He resigned from his dual athletic post at William & Mary in 1951 and went into the automobile business as president and general manager of the West Point Motor Co. in West Point, Virginia. He was appointed to fill an unexpired term on the West Point town council from 1956 to 1958.

In 1958, he became director of Boys' Home of North Carolina in Lake Waccamaw and served until his death in 1972. The home served homeless and neglected youths from ages 10–19. The home became a model for such facilities around the country. In May 1972, six months before his death, McCray received the highest recognition of his life. The statewide North Carolina Civitans gave him its "Outstanding Citizen of the Year" Award, recognizing McCray's "outstanding service to youth, his years of coaching and developing character of young men, and his civic and religious activities."

Additionally in 1992, twenty years after he died, Lake Waccamaw named its new public library in his memory.

Head coaching record

Football
Year Team Overall ConferenceStanding Bowl/playoffs AP#
William & Mary Tribe (Southern Conference) (1944–1950)
1944 William & Mary 5–2–12–1–15th
1945 William & Mary 6–34–23rd
1946 William & Mary 8–27–12nd
1947 William & Mary 9–27–11stL Dixie14
1948 William & Mary 7–2–25–1–14thW Delta17
1944 William & Mary 6–44–2T–4th
1950 William & Mary 4–73–3T–9th
William & Mary: 45–22–332–11–2
Total:
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth
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See also

References
  1. William & Mary men's basketball history - Media Guide 2007-08 Archived May 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Accessed March 24, 2008.
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