Arnold Short is the first in a now long line of sweet shooting, high scoring players who lifted Oklahoma City University into national college basketball prominence. Short would become a cornerstone for a basketball heritage as rich in tradition and pride as any in the country.
Shortbecamean all-American in 1953 and 1954 while playing for OCU. Short, a guard from Weatherford, Okla., set single-game and single-season school records for free throws made. Short starred on three NCAA Tournament teams for coach Doyle Parrack from 1950-54. As a sophomore, he scored 22 points in a 55-53 win over UCLA in the third-place game of the 1952 NCAA Western Regional. He went on to become a two-time first-team all-star with the Phillips 66ers in the National Industrial Basketball League.
Short’s team won the 1951 All-College Tournament. He played a major role in OCU's drive to the All-College Tournament title and scored 70 points in three games and was named as the tournament's MVP. Short averaged 23.3 points a game.
Short went on to a long career at OCU, serving as athletic director and tennis coach. Short has been recognized among The Oklahoman’s top 100 athletes in state history as well as among the All-College Classic’s all-time greats. He has become a member of the Oklahoma District Tennis Association Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. He was a charter member of the OCU Athletics Hall of Fame.
Short became the first all-American in OCU history and would repeat the honor in the next year. He piled up 1,527 points. His 27.8 points per game average as a senior is on OCU's all-time list. He established an NCAA record with 23 free throws (out of 25 attempts) in one game against Baylor.
While at OCU, he also participated in baseball and tennis, where he won the Oklahoma state tennis championships in the amateur open division, men's singles and men's doubles. At one time, he was ranked No. 1 in the Missouri Valley's Men's 35 Singles.
Post-college, Short was a two-time, first-team All-Star for the Phillips 66ers in the National Industrial Basketball League and was named All-Army twice while in the service.
In 1970, he became OCU's head tennis coach and later an assistant basketball coach under Paul Hansen. In 1975, he was hired as the manager and tennis pro at the Oklahoma City Tennis Center. He also served five years as OCU's athletic director, where he was instrumental in the introduction of women's athletics.
Short is an ordained pastor in the United Methodist Church and has served churches in Oklahoma City and Tulsa as well as ministries.
