Godfrey was born in
Aspermont, Texas, on September 21, 1944, to parents Olen Byron and Ina Mae (
née McNutt) Godfrey. He lived on a farm where he began playing basketball as a child by using a goal erected on his family's garage. Godfrey attended
Aspermont High School in Aspermont. He played on the basketball team where he was coached by his brother-in-law, William Teel. Godfrey was selected as a member of the second-team
Division II All-American team in 1967 and the third-team in 1968. He was awarded as the
Southland Player of the Year in 1968 and was a three-time member of the All-
Southland Conference team. He was also selected by the
Houston Mavericks in the first round of the 1968
American Basketball Association (ABA) draft. On July 3, 1968, Godfrey signed with the Mavericks, but he returned home to become a teacher. He was invited to a tryout with the
United States basketball team for the
1968 Summer Olympics. Godfrey was inducted into the
Abilene Christian University Sports Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Big Country Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011. His number 14 was retired by the Wildcats men's basketball team in 2018 as the first jersey number retirement by the program. ==Later life==