Bay Area mourns passing, honors life of high school coaching legend Dan Shaughnessy

The white board in Dan Shaughnessy’s Oakland Kaiser Hospital room last week was filled with artwork from his four grown daughters — a shimmering sun, a smiling fish, a detailed underwater scene that included a submarine with an eye at the top of a periscope that assured him that adoring eyes were always watching him.

His only son Jake — not as artistic — was a little overwhelmed, so he drew up his old man’s favorite football play: “Brown-I-22-Dive.”

“It’s a handoff right to the fullback in the I formation,” explained oldest daughter Casey.

She never knew that until she asked her dad in the hospital room on Father’s Day. To play it out, Casey pretended to be the quarterback and hand the ball to a make-believe tailback.

“Protect the ball!” Shaughnessy shouted.

Right to the end, Shaughnessy did what he always believed he was born to do.

Three days later, engulfed in love and all his life passions — faith, football and family — the longtime high school football coach, best known as “Coach Shag,” died peacefully due to heart failure. He was 87.

Shaughnessy was preceded in death by his parents, James and Ella; Siblings Jim, Jack, Pat, Tom, Ed, Bob, Marian and Docky; First wife of 47 years Diane, and survived by his children Casey, Maggie, Susie, Jake and Dee Dee, second wife Allie Roth and grandchildren Kaitlyn, Sylvia, and Diane; Along with son-in-law Joe Escobedo, stepsons Keith Weinstein and Greg Weinstein; step grandchildren Michaela, Sienna, Alex, Jake, Luke and Layla Weinstein and countless nieces and nephews.

The Oakland native spent 59 of those years coaching the game, mentoring both teens and young coaches, and teaching life skills.

He was one of the most successful, impassioned and influential prep football coaches in Bay Area history — “He was truly iconic,” said NFHS Hall of Fame coach Bob Ladouceur, of De La Salle-Concord — with a 254-118-6 career record with 16 league titles and 14 North Coast Section playoff appearances as head coach at Salesian-Richmond, St. Mary’s-Berkeley and Albany.

In later years, he volunteered as an assistant at Tamalpais-Mill Valley, El Cerrito, John Swett-Crockett, Kennedy-Richmond and Redwood-Larkspur. Beyond his football knowledge, he offered more basic needs: A ride, a meal, tutoring, an ear.

He did so quite discreetly, with little fanfare. But in everything he did, the 5-foot-9, barrel-chested, charismatic Shaughnessy packed a powerful personal punch.

“He was the consummate coach and person,” said one of his first star players, Eugene “Choo Choo” Young,” a 1979 Salesian graduate who earned a scholarship to the University of Oregon: “He did it all for us. His entire family did.”

‘LIVE ON FOREVER'

Teaching the game was one of Shaghnessy’s great gifts, but building confidence, camaraderie and purpose was his true legacy. Over six decades, he was a second dad to countless.

“I feel like I’ve lost a father,” said former Salesian player Dan Hayes, who played for Shaughnessy in the early 1980s. “From 15-18 he was the only dad I had in the most formative years of my life.”

He called Shaughnessy a “true warrior,” a man “cut from the ideals of hard work, dedication, passion towards an end goal — relentless in pursuit of perfection. … He was a teacher, mentor, leader. He will live on forever through all of us.”

Said 1972 Salesian graduate Dexter Morrison: "I never played football until my freshman year, but what he taught me was way more than football; He prepared his players for the game of life."

Football was his life growing up. His dad was a machinist in the shipyards and Dan, the youngest of nine children, was the first to graduate from college. He drew inspiration watching University of California Bear football games at Memorial Stadium, himself a standout as an undersized offensive guard and hard-hitting linebacker at St. Mary’s High School.

He played at Santa Rosa Junior College before landing a scholarship at Utah State where he played in 1956 and 1957. 

MAGIC OF SHAG

He was Ladouceur’s No. 1 nemesis when he started coaching De La Salle in the old Catholic Athletic League.

Salesian was the league's top dog in the league before De La Salle began its remarkable run that included a national record 151-game win streak and Ladouceur’s remarkable 399-25-3 record. His winning percentage of 93.4 is highest in prep history.

His record, however, against Coach Shag at Salesian was 3-3.

“He was a competitor — he loved to compete,” Ladouceur said Friday. “He had the ability to instill a lot of confidence in players. His players really loved him and they played hard for him and were totally dedicated to him. Salesian was the top dog back then. He was a tough obstacle to overcome.”

The rivalry between legendary coaches was heated in the early to mid-80s — Shaughnessy with the established power and Ladouceur, the up-and-comer. After their last game against each other in 1985, the respect and admiration grew.

“He was a good man,” Ladouceur said. “His heart was in the right place. He was completely dedicated to the sport and his players. He stayed in it for so long. It was a life mission for him. I could relate to that.”

Jake said his dad’s record wasn’t nearly as impressive as Ladouceur’s, but noted “he’d take over programs that were 1-9 and turn them into 9-1.” Also, “he didn’t care about running a sexy offense or complex defensive schemes. He just cared about the people in the room.”

Shaughnessy didn’t mind a little payback. The season after leaving Salesian, his St. Mary’s squad beat the Chieftains, 15-14. Shortly after taking over perennial doormat Albany in 2004, the Cougars knocked off St. Mary’s (22-21). Beyond the Salesian wins over De La Salle (32-0, 21-17 and 24-13), those were two of his biggest as head coach.

“That was sort of the magic of Coach Shag,” Jake said.

THE CRAB WALK

Shaughnessy’s highest-level pupil Lorenzo Alexander played 15 seasons with six different teams in the NFL as a linebacker. He starred at St. Mary’s in the late 90s before playing four years at Cal.

During his long career Alexander played for countless coaches but “the foundation that Shag set for me never left. He set in motion everything not only in my life, but countless others, not only in football but other aspects of life.”

The key foundational point, Alexander said, “was pushing yourself beyond what you think your capacity is. I think he’s one of the greatest coaches I’ve ever known, especially at establishing that work ethic, a level of grit and fortitude to help push people to greatness.”

No 40, Alexander is passing on Shaughnessy’s lessons as a coach to his own daughter playing flag football at Xavier College Prep in Phoenix (Ariz.) and two younger sons in youth football.

“He definitely played an integral part of my football and family life,” Alexander said.

Shaughnessy left him many stories as well, including the time St. Mary’s was under-achieving in a game versus John Swett.

“We were in control of the game, but not up to Shag’s standard so he called timeout and brought us all to the sideline,” Alexander recalled. “He told us if we didn’t start executing he was gonna call timeout again and make us crab walk (a conditioning drill) back onto the field." 

Alexander and his teammates knew it wasn’t an idle threat.

“We took it right to heart," Alexander said. "I think the next play we went 34 sweep to the right and Trestin (star tailback Trestin George who later played at San Jose State, CFL and NFL before becoming an actor) took it to the house,” Alexander said.

“Shag had no patience for lack of effort or execution.” 

NO DIVIDED FOOTBALL LIFE

His best work was perhaps as an assistant, helping Jake get his head coaching career started at Tamalpais in the early 2000s, where a young assistant Allen Talley eventually took over programs at John Swett and Redwood.

Shaughnessy was his No. 1 assistant at both those stops.

Talley is now in his 12th season at Redwood. He and his staff took news of Shaughnessy’s death hard.

“He was such a good man and a great mentor to me,” Talley said. “Everyone — all the coaches, all the kids — loved coach Shag. He had that old school, no nonsense mentality. He had so much knowledge but never flaunted all his success. He gave great advice.”

Such as “ ‘Just be yourself,’ he always told me. ‘It’s your program. Don’t try to be someone else. Have your own identity.’ “

Most coaches attempt to build a family atmosphere. To hammer the point, Shaughnessy injected his very own to every team, especially early on. There was no double or divided life with Coach Shag. Football and family coexisted and thrived.

FAMILY AFFAIR

Diane, his first wife of 47 years, kept statistics and hosted team parties. Jake scouted games and all the his sisters were ball girls.

“It was a whole family affair out there,” Young said. “Coach Shaughnessy was like a second father to me and Diane was like a second mom. They’ve all been like family ever since, including the kids.”

Diane gave birth to their daughter Susie on game day one year and the four Salesian co-captains that day later became her co-godfathers.

“Football has always been our family outing and Diane was at the forefront,” Shaughnessy told us in 2006, five months after Diane, at age 69, passed away of lung cancer. “She gave me her opinion often (on the football team) and she was never wrong.”

The kids — all graduates from Cal — and Shaughnessy huddled to honor Diane on what would have been her 70th birthday on a football field. It was El Cerrito’s regular season finale in 2006 and Shaughnessy, the team’s line coach under George Austin, helped the team to a 10-2-1 season.

UPWARD ELEVATION

He considered not coaching the season after Diane passed away. “I knew I couldn’t sit around and stare at the walls all day,” he said at the time. “I threw myself into football and it’s been great therapy. … It’s what I love to do and have loved to do since I can remember. I suppose it’s what I’ll always do.”

Almost two decades later, with his family once more huddled, this time in an Oakland Kaiser hospital room, they honored their father while he took his final breaths, and taught just a little more football.

“He and my mother made such an impact on people’s lives,” Casey said. “My dad was a surrogate dad to so many. So many had lost theirs. I felt like he helped elevate all around him and got so many people on a good path.”

No more than his very own children, Casey said. Even during their dad’s final moments.

“I can honestly say that he was taking care of us as much as we were taking care of him,” she said. 

Per his request, a simple, private burial will be held by the families. In lieu of flowers — the Shaughnessy and Roth-Shaughnessy Weinstein families ask that a donation be made to your favorite charity in Dan's name. 

Photos below courtesy of Shaughnessy family