Bob Shannon (American football)

Last updated
Bob Shannon
Born1945 (age 78–79)
Port Gibson, Mississippi, U.S.
OccupationFootball coach

Bob Shannon (born 1945) is an American former high school football coach. He is best known for coaching the East St. Louis Flyers to six Illinois and two national championships. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life

Robert Lavern Shannon was born 1945 in Port Gibson, Mississippi. [3]

Career

Shannon achieved a record of 192-34 in 20 seasons at East St. Louis. [4] In 1985 he was selected as the USA Today High School Football Coach of the Year along with taking the High School Football National Championship. [5] [6] Shannon accused the school district of condoning corruption. He claimed the athletic director stole from the district. He left in 1995 after the school board backed the athletic director, who later pleaded guilty to stealing $90,000 from athletic accounts. Janet Reno awarded Shannon the United States Attorney General Award, an award rarely given outside of law enforcement, for his efforts to fight corruption. [7] [8] He coached Alton and Christian Brothers College High School before retiring from coaching in 2007 at the age of 63. [9] [10] [11]

Shannon and the East St. Louis Flyers were the subject of the book The Right Kind of Heroes, by newspaper reporter Kevin Horrigan, who is now a columnist with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch . The book chronicles the Flyers' 1990 and 1991 seasons, during which they lost the state championship and then won it back. Shannon coached pro football players Dana Howard and Bryan Cox and baseball player Homer Bush, then a high school football star during his tenure at East St. Louis. [12] [13] Two years after retiring, Shannon was inducted into the St. Louis Metro Football Coaches Association hall of fame. [14]

George H. W. Bush recognized Shannon as "a beacon of hope in a sea of despair." [11] Bill Clinton named Shannon one of his 53 faces of hope during his 1992 presidential campaign. Shannon was selected for overcoming difficulties and leading his team to success. He was invited to lunch prior to the inauguration with Clinton and attended the inauguration. [15] [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Gibson, Mississippi</span> City in Mississippi, United States

Port Gibson is a city and the county seat of Claiborne County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,567 at the 2010 census. It is bordered on the west by the Mississippi River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mackay Stadium</span> Collegiate athletics stadium in Reno, Nevada, United States

Mackay Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in the western United States, located on the campus of the University of Nevada in Reno, Nevada. The home venue for Nevada Wolf Pack football and women's soccer in the Mountain West Conference. it is named in honor of the Mackay family, particularly John William Mackay and his son Clarence H. Mackay, who donated funding to build the original stadium in 1909.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homer Bush</span> American baseball player (born 1972)

Homer Giles Bush is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played for the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Florida Marlins of Major League Baseball from 1997 to 2002 and in 2004. He was a part of the Yankees' 1998 World Series championship over the San Diego Padres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Kinder</span> American lawyer and politician (born 1954)

Peter Dickson Kinder is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 46th Lieutenant Governor of Missouri from 2005 to 2017. He was appointed as a co-chairman of the Delta Regional Authority in August 2017, serving in that post until he resigned in June 2018.

Dana Cortez Howard is an American former professional football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the St. Louis Rams and the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini and was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round of the 1995 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1999 Missouri Proposition B</span>

Proposition B in Missouri was a failed 1999 ballot measure that would have required local police authorities to issue concealed weapons permits to eligible citizens. It was a contentious issue and was narrowly rejected at the time by the electorate, but the legislature later approved similar legislation in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Schulte</span> American football player and sports coach (1879–1944)

Henry Frank Schulte was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, baseball, and track and field. Schulte played football at Washington University in St. Louis from 1898 to 1900 and at the University of Michigan from 1903 to 1905 and later coached football and track and field at Eastern Michigan University (1906–1908), Southeast Missouri State University (1909-1911), University of Missouri (1914–1919), and University of Nebraska (1919–1938). Schulte was often referred to by the nickname "Indian" Schulte, though he was of German rather than Native American descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missouri Tigers football</span> American college football organization

The Missouri Tigers football program represents the University of Missouri in college football and competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ventura High School</span> Public school in Ventura County, southern California

Ventura High School (VHS) is a public high school in Ventura, California. The school is part of the Ventura Unified School District. It serves students in the western portion of Ventura and surrounding unincorporated communities, including Casitas Springs, Oak View, and La Conchita. VHS is a California Distinguished School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Hayes</span> American football player and coach (born 1962)

Jonathan Michael Hayes is an American football coach and former tight end. He previously served as the head coach of St. Louis Battlehawks as well as tight ends coach for Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL), and the co-offensive coordinator for the Arlington Renegades of the United Football League (UFL). Hayes is currently the athletic director for Moeller High School. in Cincinnati, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Louis Billikens</span> Athletic program of Saint Louis University

The Saint Louis Billikens are the collegiate athletic teams that represent Saint Louis University, located in St. Louis, Missouri. The Billikens compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The school has nationally recognized soccer programs for men and women. The school has heavily invested in its on-campus athletic facilities since the 1990s with the creation of Hermann Stadium and Chaifetz Arena. Chris May is the current director of athletics of the St. Louis Billikens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East St. Louis Senior High School</span> Public high school in East St. Louis, Illinois, United States

East Saint Louis Senior High School is the only high school located in East St. Louis, Illinois. The school serves about 1,438 students in grades 9 to 12 in the East Saint Louis Public Schools district. It was featured in the Jonathan Kozol book Savage Inequalities. In 1998, East St. Louis Lincoln High School consolidated with East St. Louis High.

The 1965 Michigan State Spartans football team represented the Michigan State University in the 1965 Big Ten Conference football season. The Spartans won the Big Ten Championship and competed in the 1966 Rose Bowl, losing to UCLA. Despite the loss, the Spartans shared the national championship with Alabama. Michigan State was selected national champion by UPI/coaches, Berryman, Billingsley, DeVold, Dunkel, FB News, Helms, Litkenhous, NFF, Poling, Sagarin, and Sagarin (ELO-Chess) and also co-national champion by FW. Both Alabama and Michigan State were national champions for the season.

Milbourne King Block, Sr. -- known as King Block —was an American college football player and coach. He was the head coach at Arkansas State College from 1960 to 1962 and amassed a 13–14 record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Missouri gubernatorial election</span>

The 2016 Missouri gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the Governor of Missouri, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Big Ten Conference football season</span> Sports season

The 2014 Big Ten Conference football season was the 119th season of college football play for the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The conference began its season on Thursday, August 28, as Minnesota and Rutgers opened their seasons. The remainder of the teams in the conference began their season on August 30.

Jamall Walker is an American basketball coach who is an assistant coach at Ohio State University.

Tony Messenger is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

References

  1. ↑ Jon Mahoney (3 Nov 2008). "East St. Louis' wideouts Terry Hawthorne and Kraig Appleton are looking to restore the school's football glory - ESPN". ESPN.com.
  2. ↑ "Former Flyer pilots CBC to state title game". St. Louis American. 22 Nov 2006. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  3. ↑ Horrigan, Kevin (1992). The Right Kind of Heroes: Coach Bob Shannon and the East St. Louis Flyers. p. 84. ISBN   978-0-945575-70-2.
  4. ↑ "Shannon Resigns as East St. Louis Coach". Tulsa World. 3 Sep 1995. Retrieved 23 Oct 2014.
  5. ↑ "USA TODAY football players, coaches of year". USA Today. 26 Jun 2006. Retrieved 23 Oct 2014.
  6. ↑ Dallas Jackson. "National High School Football Rankings History" . Retrieved 23 Oct 2014.
  7. ↑ "Ex-coach returning to face former team". The Southeast Missourian. Associated Press. 23 Oct 1997. p. 3B. Retrieved 24 Oct 2014.
  8. ↑ "Shannon to receive award from Reno". The Southeast Missourian. 28 Mar 1998. p. 2B. Retrieved 24 Oct 2014.
  9. ↑ Bell, Taylor (30 Jun 1996). "In Shannon, Alton gain is East St. Louis' loss". Chicago Sun Times. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 23 Oct 2014.
  10. ↑ Latsch, Nate (8 Nov 2007). "Legendary coach calls it quits CBC's Bob Shannon coached in the area for more than 30 years, receiving national attention while at East St. Louis". St Louis Post-Dispatch (MO). Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 23 Oct 2014.
  11. 1 2 Temkin, Barry (27 Nov 1996). "A Winner Finds New Hope". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 24 Oct 2014.
  12. ↑ Gould, Rich (13 July 2013). "Sunday Sports Extra: Bryan Cox". kplr11.com. Retrieved 23 Oct 2014.
  13. ↑ Horrigan, Kevin (1 Sep 1992). THE RIGHT KIND OF HEROES - Coach Bob Shannon and the East St. Louis Flyers. Algonquin. ISBN   0-945575-70-X.
  14. ↑ "SLMFCA Hall of Fame". 1 Jan 2010. Retrieved 23 Oct 2014.
  15. ↑ Briscoe, David (18 Jan 1993). "Ordinary People Guests of Clintons, Gores". Associated Press. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  16. ↑ Halperin, Jennifer (October 1993). "Bob Shannon wants leaders on his East St. Louis team". Illinois Issues. XIX (10): 12–15. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.