Long-time Shelbyville educator and coach Tom Gould passes away at age 87

Tom Gould once commented that his “brush with greatness” came in 1965 when he cut future Hall of Fame musician John Mellencamp from the Seymour eighth grade basketball team.

In reality, Gould’s interaction with greatness was much more subtle and protracted and could more accurately be measured in terms of contributions he made to the lives of the students and athletes he taught and coached during a 37-year career in education.

The veteran Shelbyville High School teacher and coach (photo) died at his Shelbyville residence on Aug. 12 at the age of 87.

Gould was born in Campbellsburg, Indiana, in December of 1938. He developed a zeal for basketball as a youth and became a tremendous player for Orleans High School as a four-year varsity starting guard, averaging double figures his sophomore, junior and senior seasons.

He played the point guard role as his team’s primary ball-handler and passer and was credited with being the primary factor in Orleans’ major upset victory over Paoli in the opening game of the 1958 Bedford Sectional.

Gould graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Purdue University. He taught and coached at the Seymour Junior High School for three years before coming to Shelbyville in the fall of 1966.

The Orleans’ alumnus taught biology, science, health, physical education and driver’s education during his 34-year tenure at SHS. In total, Gould (photo, left, with Carl Hughes) dedicated 20 years to coaching Golden Bears basketball.

He served as the Golden Bears junior varsity coach from 1966 through 1979 and was an assistant coach for some of Shelbyville’s greatest teams.

He served as head coach Carl Hughes’ chief assistant for the 1967 through 1970 teams that won a collective 75 games and captured four consecutive sectional titles.

He was an assistant for Pat Rady in 1979 and 1980 for Shelbyville teams that earned berths in Indianapolis semistates at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Gould won two sectional championships during his three years as the SHS head coach from 1980-1983.

“Coach Gould always listened to his players,” said former Golden Bear great Tim Ash who was the leading scorer for the 21-4 1968 team and currently stands in fourth place on the all-time SHS scoring list. “He was interested in our perspective. He expected dedication but was truly a ‘player’s coach.’ He was my favorite.”

Coach Carl Hughes also headed basketball programs at Aurora, Elkhart, Warren Central, New Palestine and Eastern (Pekin County). He once confided to a fellow head coach that Tom Gould was the best assistant coach he ever had.

Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame member and former SHS star Harry Larrabee stated: “I was personally fortunate to have had Carl Hughes and Tom Gould as coaches. They had a positive and significant influence on my life.”

Gould stands as the only person to have held the positions of varsity head coach, varsity assistant coach, junior varsity coach and freshmen coach for the Shelbyville High School boys’ basketball program.

Gould took a 12-year hiatus from coaching basketball from 1983-1994. He continued to head the Shelbyville boys and girls golf programs at various times during that period and ultimately returned to the sidelines to coach the Golden Bears freshman teams from 1995 through 1998.

1999 Shelbyville Paul Cross Award recipient and Wabash College letterman Brady Claxton played freshman basketball for Gould.

“Tom loved basketball and his passion for the game was infectious,” said Claxton. “He saw the game in a way I had never considered. Tom was dedicated to teaching young men the right way to play. He led me to develop the same passion that he had. I will always treasure that year we spent together.”

Gould was an enthusiastic Purdue sports fan. He attended innumerable football and basketball games over the years and religiously followed the Boilermakers. He also loved taking rides on his motorcycle, at one point navigating his bike on the 1,200-mile journey to South Dakota to visit his son, Mark.

He underwent coronary bypass surgery in 1997 at the age of 58. The experience motivated him to adopt a healthier lifestyle that included quitting his long-time smoking habit, regular exercise and a stricter diet. He often credited those modifications with enhancing and extending his quality of life.

Tom was extremely proud of his two sons, Brad and Mark. Brad is a 22-year retired veteran of the United States Air Force. He held the position of Superintendent of Veteran’s Assistance of Champaign County, Illinois, and is a former state commander of the Illinois VFW.

Mark was a two-year Golden Bears starting point guard who graduated in 1984. He played basketball for two seasons at a junior college in Colorado before finishing his career at Black Hills State University in South Dakota. He currently owns and operates Gould’s Lawn and Tree Service as well as Performance Basketball Workouts.

He is the director of the annual Queen Cities Youth Basketball Tournament in Spearfish, South Dakota, that hosted 166 teams in fourth grade through high school divisions in 2026.

Tom also is survived by his devoted, loving partner of 20 years, Judy Dover.

Coach Tom Gould was committed to developing basketball players. He was intent on guiding players on their journey to reach their potential. He was specifically intent on building Golden Bear basketball players and teaching them the most effective way to compete. His efforts went beyond coaching; he taught the game. His contributions to Shelbyville basketball were profound.

Local businessman and former Golden Bear basketball player Larry Browning was shooting on his outdoor court one spring day several years ago when Gould unexpectedly stopped by on his motorcycle.

“I thought I recognized that shooting form,” Gould said.

“We visited for 15-20 minutes,” said Browning. “I had not seen coach for some time but it was just like we had talked the previous day. I really appreciated him taking time to do that, but that was who he was. Coach Gould always stayed connected.”

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