I DEVELOPED SISTERS FOR LIFE
1/30/2020 8:19:00 AM | Volleyball, Champions' TriBUne
Thank You For Pushing Me Further Than I Could Have Imagined
Champions' TriBUne ArchiveBy: Shelly Stafford
Champions' TriBUne is a special feature through Baylor Athletics that gives you the student-athlete's perspective and the chance for them to share their own story. Shelly Stafford, a first-team All-American middle blocker from Cypress, Texas, was part of Baylor volleyball's historic 2019 season that included the first Big 12 championship, a 29-2 record and trip to the Final Four. Married to former professional baseball player Sam Stafford last May, Shelly earned her undergrad degree in communications and added a masters in sport management in December:
Before committing to Baylor for volleyball, I grew up riding horses and running track. I had no idea what college volleyball was or that I would be walking into the most challenging yet most incredible five years of my life. I want to share my story with you all.
I was born in southern California, but I spent the majority of my childhood in Cypress, Texas. My Mom owns her own real estate company, and my Dad is now a restaurant/bar owner, retired from the Marine Corps after serving 21 years. I have an older brother, Travis, who graduated from the Naval Academy and is now a Captain in the Marine Corps, and an older sister, Mandy, who graduated from the Air Force Academy and is now serving as a Captain.
As a family, we have been through many trials and tribulations that have only made us stronger. When I was in high school, my dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 bladder cancer. He underwent hours of chemo, many sleepless nights and our family struggled financially. Times were really hard. I thought I was going lose my dad several times. But, after a long three years, the battle had been won and the hard times were behind us.
As iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens the other. I believe this verse represents my family's love and support that we have for each other and how we were able to get through the tough times.
My family is very important to me, and I cherish all of the times I get to spend with them, which was a main consideration when selecting a university. I chose Baylor because I wanted to stay in Texas to be close to my parents, but also I wanted a university that would challenge me spiritually, academically and athletically. I chose Baylor because, since my very first visit, it felt like home.
About two weeks before I even stepped foot on campus, I received news that the coach who recruited me would no longer be coaching at Baylor and the search for a new head coach had begun. This gave me the opportunity to choose somewhere else to play. However, I was confident that God led me to Baylor for a reason, and knew that I had to put my trust in His plan. After moving in and meeting the new head coach, Ryan McGuyre, I was more than confident that he was the man for the job.
My freshman year started off strong, everything was going great. The team experienced success like never before, I received many accolades and had the opportunity to play on the U.S. Collegiate National Team. Mom and Dad were able to come support everything.
It was just before my sophomore season when I developed a stress injury in my shin that would only heal with time. This is when we decided I needed to take this year to recover, so I medically redshirted. Not only did the game I love get taken away from me, I felt as if I was letting my team down and it was devastating. However, at the same time, news struck that in order for my dad to live, he would need to undergo a 10-hour procedure that would reconstruct his abdominal cavity, bladder and kidneys included. This not only gave me perspective that my shin injury was nothing compared to the pain my dad would be in, ultimately, redshirting gave me the freedom to be there with him and my family during this time.
I am thankful to my family at Baylor who let me miss practices and class, and for all who just poured into me. Through this season, I learned to put my hope in God and realize that He is the ultimate healer. I am thankful for the time we have with the people we love and learned the importance of truly cherishing that, because tomorrow is never promised. Redshirting gave me the time with my family, gave my body time to heal, allowed me to be another year wiser and even gave me the opportunity to graduate early and obtain a masters degree. This was ultimately a blessing in disguise.
Going into my redshirt junior season, I tore the labrum in my shoulder and found out I would need surgery. I also re-injured my shin, had to limit my impact (rolled around on a scooter) and was only able to play in games. This time, though, nothing was going to get me down. I played through it, waiting to get surgery on my shoulder until after the season. If my dad can overcome a 13% chance to live, I think I can manage the pain of a little shoulder tear and shin pain. And so I did.
Fast forward to the year I wasn't promised, my redshirt senior season. 2019 was a year I will never forget. I knew I wanted to cherish every moment, and there were definitely moments worth cherishing. I entered into the new year as Shelly Fanning and left it as Shelly Stafford. On May 18, my dad walked me down the aisle and handed me off to marry the most genuine, honest and hard-working man I get to call my husband.
Sam and I met when he was still playing professional baseball. He was in off-season working out when I went into the gym to say hello to my old coach. When I walked past Sam, from the corner of my eye I saw him get up, and I was like "Oh no…of all days, I look terrible." He immediately impressed me. I loved his maturity and confidence to ask me on a date right then and there. Four years later, and we are now happily married with a dog daughter named Stella.
Yes, 2019 was a special year. This season was not promised for me. Because of the redshirt year, I got to stay for this fifth year, an extra season. I had the opportunity to play with new girls I would have not had the chance to other wise. I had the opportunity to graduate with my masters degree in sport management and ultimately had one more year to develop relationships and grow more as a person. This season, like I said was special. It was definitely a season of firsts. We experienced a record-breaking season, winning the Big 12 Conference for the first time ever, going undefeated at home for the first time ever, making it to the Final Four for the first time ever, and I was one of Baylor's three first-team All-Americans for the first time in program history. I walk away from Baylor volleyball knowing that I gave it my all, knowing that I had an unbelievable community to support my growth and being so thankful for the best friends and sisters I will have for life.
God led me to Baylor to experience growth, to become a better teammate, friend and leader, to be close to my family during tough times, to be challenged to obtain two degrees, to find my husband and surround me with people who ultimately allowed me to become more like Christ. I developed sisters and friends for life. I am more than thankful for Baylor, Waco and my family for teaching me more about myself and pushing me further than I could have ever imagined. Thank you for reading my story.
Previous Champions' TriBUne Features
Men's Golf - Mike McGraw (Jan. 3, 2020)
Volleyball - Yossiana Pressley (Dec. 5, 2019)
Baseball - Nick Loftin (Nov. 21, 2019)
Men's Cross Country - Ryan Day (Nov. 1, 2019)
Women's Cross Country - Lindsay Walton (Oct. 15, 2019)
Men's Basketball - Obim Okeke (Oct. 1, 2019)
Volleyball - Gia Milana (Sept. 17, 2019)
Soccer - Raegan Padgett (Sept. 5, 2019)
Football - Sam Tecklenburg (Aug. 29, 2019)
Men's Golf - Cooper Dossey (July 11, 2019)
Baseball - Richard Cunningham (June 27, 2019)
Men's Tennis - Jimmy Bendeck (June 14, 2019)
Baseball - Shea Langeliers (May 30, 2019)
Women's Track & Field - Kiana Horton (May 22, 2019)
Men's Golf - Garrett May (May 9, 2019)
Women's Golf - Maria Vesga (May 2, 2019)
Acrobatics & Tumbling - Camryn Bryant (April 25, 2019)
Equestrian - Shannon Hogue (April 16, 2019)
Women's Tennis - Angelina Shakhraichuk (April 9, 2019)
Women's Basketball - Lauren Cox (March 22, 2019)
Men's Track & Field - Wil London (March 7, 2019)
Men's Basketball - Jake Lindsey (March 4, 2019)
Softball - Nicky Dawson (Feb. 21, 2019)
Baseball - Josh Bissonette (Feb. 14, 2019)
Men's Tennis - Will Little (Jan. 31, 2019)
Men's Basketball - King McClure (Jan. 17, 2019)
Women's Basketball - Chloe Jackson (Jan. 3, 2019)
Football - Blake Blackmar (Dec. 13, 2018)
Volleyball - Braya Hunt (Nov. 29, 2018)
Soccer - Jackie Crowther (Nov. 16, 2018)
Women's Cross Country - Alison Andrews-Paul (Nov. 8, 2018)
Football- Ira Lewis (Nov. 6, 2018)
Players Mentioned
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Baylor Football: Weekly Press Conference with Dave Aranda | October 27, 2025
Monday, October 27
Baylor Soccer: Highlights at Houston | October 26, 2025
Monday, October 27
Baylor Football: Postgame Press Conference at Cincinnati | October 25, 2025
Sunday, October 26
