Shirlynn Shirley: Elizabeth’s Trailblazing Hall of Fame Athlete
First. Fearless. Record-setting. Shirlynn Shirley made history as the first woman inducted into the Elizabeth Athletic Hall of Fame. A dominant scorer and multi-sport standout, she left her mark at Elizabeth High School and Union County College—raising the bar for what excellence looks like in Elizabeth athletics.
Shirlynn Shirley Biography
The first woman ever inducted into the Elizabeth Athletic Hall of Fame, Shirlynn Shirley was known as one of the greatest scoring basketball players at Elizabeth High School and Union County College.
Shirlynn played basketball as a 5-foot-6 guard at Elizabeth High School in the late 80s where she was named 1st team All Garden State and later played the same position at Union College where she was named N.J. Junior College Player of the Year. She still holds many scoring records and was known for her three-point shooting skill.
Shirlynn was a starter for four years on the girls’ basketball team at Elizabeth High, averaging 17.3 points with four assists and four steals per game. She was also a starter for the Elizabeth High School Softball team, where she was chosen as a first team all Union County selection for three years. and also a first team All State Group IV player for three years. Her career totals in softball were also impressive: .421 batting average, 85 stolen bases, 93 runs scored, and 67 runs batted in.
rn 1988-89, she starred at Union County College, where she led the team to a 24-8 record, and averaged 18.9 points per game , six rebounds, three steals and four assists per game. She was a 1988 Isl Team All Region 19 selection, a 1st Team Garden State Athletic Conference pick, and an all-Tournament Owl Classic selection.
In 1989-90, Shirlynn led Union County College to a 26-4 record, scored 21.6 points per game, averaged four rebounds, three steals and 4.3 assists. Sbe was a First-Team All Region choice, First Team All Garden State Athletic Conference pick, the MVP of Ute Owl Classic Tournament, Player of the Year (NJCBCA), named to the WBCA District 2 All JUCO Team and picked as an Honorable Mention NCAA All-American.
She finished her Union County College career with 1,257 points, good for second place on the College’s All-Time Scoring list.
