Willie Lorenzo Shaw (born January 11, 1944) is a former American football player and coach who coached for a number of NFL and college football teams. He is the father of former Stanford head coach David Shaw.

Willie Shaw
Personal information
Born: (1944-01-11) January 11, 1944 (age 80)
Glenmora, Louisiana, U.S.
Career information
High school:San Diego (CA) Lincoln
College:New Mexico
Career history
As a coach:
Coaching stats at PFR

Early life and playing career edit

Born in Glenmora, Louisiana, Shaw served in the United States Air Force after graduating from Lincoln High School in San Diego. Serving in the Vietnam War, Shaw rose to the rank of Sergeant.[1][2] Shaw later worked on jets at an electronics company before enrolling at the University of New Mexico.[3] From 1966 to 1968, Shaw lettered in football for the New Mexico Lobos and was an All-Western Athletic Conference cornerback and an All-America honorable mention cornerback.[4] Shaw then transferred to San Diego State University, where he did not play football but earned his bachelor's degree in physical education in 1971 and later a master's degree in physical education in 1973.[5]

Coaching career edit

Following his playing career, Shaw began a long career as an assistant coach at a number of college and NFL teams, coaching defenses either as a secondary coach or defensive coordinator.[6] Shaw coached for a total of 14 teams, with his longest NFL stints occurring with the Minnesota Vikings (two separate stints) and the Detroit Lions; collegiately, his longest tenures were at Stanford (two separate stints) and at Arizona State. In his second stint at Stanford, he was a finalist for the head coach position in 1992 that eventually went to Bill Walsh.[7][8]

Personal life edit

Shaw is the father of former Stanford head coach David Shaw and the brother of 1960s USC safety Nate Shaw.[4][9][10]

References edit

  1. ^ Maisel, Ivan (August 26, 2011). "David Shaw fulfills father's dream". ESPN. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  2. ^ "Willie Shaw". Minnesota Vikings. Archived from the original on October 9, 2002.
  3. ^ Murray, Ken (November 7, 1998). "Raiders' defense getting big push". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Oregon hires football assistant". The Register-Guard. March 20, 1979. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
  5. ^ "Stanford Cardinal". Cardinal Today. October 26, 1991. p. 4.
  6. ^ McCauley, Janie. "Shaw's influence". Associated Press.
  7. ^ Withers, Bud (November 22, 1980). "A difference between 6 and 7". The Register-Guard. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
  8. ^ "Stanford's Shaw has long been groomed for coaching". Sports Illustrated. January 14, 2011.
  9. ^ "Bio: David Shaw". Stanford University Department of Athletics. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
  10. ^ "David Shaw Named Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football/Head Coach" (Press release). Stanford University Department of Athletics. January 13, 2011.