Clark Shaughnessy

Bio

He was the father of the modern T-Formation. While coaching at the University of Chicago (1933-1939), Clark Shaughnessy became intrigued by the pro-T being used by George Halas and the Chicago Bears. He began dreaming of ways to improve the offensive set. Then Chicago dropped football. Shaughnessy was out of work - but not for long. Stanford signed him for the 1940 season and he shocked the collegiate football world with the announcement he planned to install the "T" as his primary formation. "If Stanford wins a single game with that crazy formation, you can throw all the football I ever knew into the Pacific Ocean," proclaimed Glenn "Pop" Warner. Stanford went 10-0-0 that year, including a 21-13 victory over Nebraska in the Rose Bowl. Shaughnessy earned Coach of the Year honors for his 1940 efforts. Within the next ten years, all but a half-dozen schools had switched to the Shaughnessy "T". A native of St. Cloud, Minnesota, Shaughnessy starred for the Minnesota teams of 1911 through 1913. He was third-team All-America tackle; he also played end and fullback. He became assistant coach at Minnesota 1914. In 1915, at age 23, he took his first head coaching job. His college career as head coach included stints at Tulane, Loyola of New Orleans, Chicago, Stanford, Maryland, Pittsburgh, and Hawaii.. His college record for 32 years was 151-116-17. He was head coach of the Los Angeles Rams 1948-49 and had many years as assistant coach of pro teams.