Willie Shaw


Willie Lorenzo Shaw is a retired American football player and coach who coached for a number of NFL and college football teams. He is the father of current Stanford head coach David Shaw.

Early life and playing career

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. Shaw later worked on jets at an electronics company before enrolling at the University of New Mexico. 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. 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.

Coaching career

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. Shaw coached for a total of 14 teams, with his longest NFL stints occurring with the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions; collegiately, his longest tenures were at Stanford 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.

Personal life

Shaw is the father of Stanford head coach David Shaw and the brother of 1960s USC safety Nate Shaw.