CARL IRLBECK - INDUCTEE #138
hall of fame fast fact:
Carl Irlbeck worked to get "industrial strength" basketball goals for a downtown court started by the Hart 4-H Club where many youngsters play. When he retired in 2005, a plaque was unveiled dubbing the facility "Carl's Courts."
Carl Irlbeck
Carl Irlbeck of Happy High School, played guard on a Western Junior College Conference championship team at Clarendon Junior College and has degrees in P.E. and math from West Texas State University.
Irlbeck taught on and off the basketball court and in and out of the classroom for 46 years. He coached varsity basketball at Nazareth, Clarendon, Abernathy, Plainview, Plainview Christian, Monterey, and Hart.
In addition to his fifteen basketball teams that advanced to regionals, and the seven that advanced to state, Irlbeck coached cross-country and volleyball teams to state titles. Irlbeck accumulated over 1,000 wins, a rarity; only few coaches have 1,000 wins.
He was known as “The General” because of his cowboy boots he wore. He worked to get “industrial strength” basketball goals for a downtown court in Hart; the courts were later dubbed “Carl’s Courts.”
Irlbeck retired in 2005.
