| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | (1944-01-11)January 11, 1944 (age 81) Glenmora, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school: | San Diego (CA) Lincoln |
| College: | New Mexico (1966–1968) |
| Career history | |
As a coach: | |
| |
| Coaching profile atPro Football Reference | |
Willie Lorenzo Shaw (born January 11, 1944) is a formerAmerican football player and coach who coached for a number ofNFL andcollege football teams. He is the father of formerStanford head coachDavid Shaw.
Born inGlenmora, Louisiana, Shaw served in theUnited States Air Force after graduating fromLincoln High School inSan Diego. Serving in theVietnam War, Shaw rose to the rank of Sergeant.[1][2] Shaw later worked on jets at an electronics company before enrolling at theUniversity of New Mexico.[3] From 1966 to 1968, Shaw lettered in football for theNew Mexico Lobos and was an All-Western Athletic Conference cornerback and anAll-America honorable mentioncornerback.[4] Shaw then transferred toSan 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]
Following his playing career, Shaw began a long career as an assistant coach at a number ofcollege andNFL teams, coaching defenses either as asecondary coach ordefensive coordinator.[6] Shaw coached for a total of 14 teams, with his longestNFL stints occurring with theMinnesota Vikings (two separate stints) and theDetroit Lions; collegiately, his longest tenures were atStanford (two separate stints) and atArizona State. In his second stint at Stanford, he was a finalist for the head coach position in 1992 that eventually went toBill Walsh.[7][8]
Shaw is the father of formerStanford head coachDavid Shaw and the brother of 1960sUSC safetyNate Shaw.[4][9][10]