Hall of Fame
Steve Sheiron, a native of Wilmar, finished a four-year basketball career with Southern Arkansas University in 1958-59. Sheiron scored 397 points his senior season for a 21.3 average en route to Third Team National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-America honors.
Sheiron led his team with the most points in a game with 35, the most field goals in a game with 14, and the most free throws in a game with 13 while earning All-Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference (AIC) honors. He led the Muleriders to upset wins over AIC power Arkansas Tech 91-60 and Delta State of Mississippi 82-74. Delwin Ross’ Muleriders finished 12-8 that season and was the NAIA District 17 runner-up.
As a junior, Sheiron scored 293 points in 18 games in 1957-58 for a 16.3 average. He led the Muleriders in scoring with highs of 28 points and 13 free throws in a game that season in single games. SAU defeated Arkansas State that year 60-56 and Central Arkansas 65-61 for highlight wins.
Sheiron was a sophomore in 1956-57 with P.T. (Duddy) Waller as his coach. SAU was 15-8 that season as Sheiron scored 270 points in 23 games for an 11.7 average. Highlight wins were 74-63 over Northwestern State of Louisiana, 79-78 and 78-76 wins over Arkansas State, and 74-68 over Arkansas Tech for the NAIA District 17 championship en route to a berth in the NAIA national championship tournament.
Sheiron played in 20 games as a true freshman, scoring 92 points as the Muleriders finished 10-4 in the AIC. Significant wins were 92-69 and 89-87 over Arkansas Tech, 86-82 over Central Arkansas, 69-67 and 39-27 decisions over Arkansas-Little Rock, and 92-69 over Arkansas State.
The Wilmar native had 1052 career points in 81 games for a 12.9 average, 20th-ranked for all-time, from 1955 through 1959.
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Steve went on to become the head basketball coach and director of athletics at Dallas Baptist University from 1967 through 1990 before retiring from coaching.
Steve and wife, the former Jeanette Fincher of Hope, now deceased, an SAU band drum major in 1958-59, have five daughters, Kim, Melinda, Kathy, Amy, and Andrea, 10 grandchildren, and one great grandchild. Steve currently has an insurance agency in Midlothian, Texas.
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