Jerry Shipp attended Southeastern State College in Durant, Oklahoma, being named All-American four times, but his best days as a basketball player came in the AAU leagues. After college he played for the Phillips 66ers and helped them win several national AAU championships. It was while a member of the 66ers that he won a gold medal at the 1963 Pan American Games and was named to the 1964 Olympic team. Shipp spent his career with the Phillips Company in the sales training program but also coached high school and youth basketball.