Campbell University

Former basketball coach Fred Emmerson was inducted into the Campbell Athletics Hall of Fame on Apr. 25, 1985.  He arrived at Campbell in the fall of 1938 to teach and lead the men’s basketball program.  He served four seasons as head basketball coach and assisted Coach Gaffney Smith with the football team for two seasons.
 
Emmerson’s teams became a power in the North State Junior College Conference.  His first team reached the tournament final, while the 1940 squad captured the title.  He also coached the Camels to North State Junior College Conference regular season titles in 1940 and 1941.
 
A native of Fort Smith, Arkansas, Emmerson earned undergraduate and law degrees from Wake Forest.  He was also an outstanding football player at Wake Forest, earning all-state honors as a center.
 
Emmerson never practiced law, but instead opted to coach and be involved in athletics.  He coached freshman football and basketball, as well as varsity baseball, for five years at his alma mater before moving to Campbell.
 
The arrival of World War II ended Emmerson’s stay at Campbell.  He entered the U.S. Coast Guard in 1942 and served until the conclusion of the war.
 
He re-entered the coaching profession following his release from the service.  He coached basketball at Durham High School before taking the head basketball coach position at Lenoir-Rhyne.  During his two-year stint in Hickory, one of his players was Fred McCall, who later served as head coach at Campbell, co-founded the Campbell Basketball School, and eventually served as vice president.
 
Bill Murray, who later enjoyed great success as a football coach at Duke University, enticed Emmerson to move to the University of Delaware, where his basketball teams flourished for five years.  He then coached at Northeast (Md.) High School, where his teams claimed seven basketball championships in nine seasons.