Stanford Athletics

Honors and Awards
• 2017 Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year
• 2017 Pac-12 Conference Coach of the Year
• 2015 Pac-12 Conference Coach of the Year
• 2015 AFCA Regional Coach of the Year
• 2015 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award finalist
• 2015 Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year finalist
• 2013 AFCA Regional Coach of the Year
• 2013 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award finalist
• 2013 Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year finalist
• 2012 Pac-12 Conference Coach of the Year
• 2012 Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year finalist
• 2011 Pac-12 Conference Coach of the Year
• 2011 AFCA Regional Coach of the Year
• 2011 Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year finalist

The 2021 season marks David Shaw’s 11th as Stanford’s Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football.

A 1995 Stanford graduate who is the fifth alum to hold the position of head football coach, Shaw is the 34th head coach in Stanford history, and the winningest coach in program history. 

Shaw enters the 2021 season with an 90-36 (.714) career record, including 62-25 (.713) in Pac-12 play. He has led the Cardinal to three Pac-12 titles and a pair of Rose Bowl wins in three trips to The Granddaddy of Them All. 

Shaw is the longest tenured Black head football coach in FBS history at one school and the winningest Power Five Black head football coach. 

Under Shaw, Stanford’s 90 victories since 2011 marks the winningest stretch in program history. Stanford has won at least 11 games four times under Shaw, and has appeared in a bowl game eight times.

Shaw, who oversaw the final nine years of the 2010s, was instrumental in Stanford’s most successful decade in school history. The Cardinal totaled 98 wins, 42 NFL Draft picks, 28 wins vs. AP Top 25 teams, 24 AP All-Americans, nine Academic All-Americans, five unanimous All-Americans and had a 93.5 average graduation success rate. Each of those categories either led the Pac-12 or was second, while also in the Top 10 nationally.

Shaw was named recipient of the Dodd Trophy following the 2017 season. It was Stanford’s third all-time national coach of the year award, following Chuck Taylor (1951) and Clark Shaughnessy (1940) winning the AFCA Coach of the Year Award. The Dodd Trophy, college football’s most coveted coaching award, honors the head football coach whose program embodies the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity, while also having success on the playing field throughout the season.

The 2017 Pac-12 Coach of the Year’s involvement reaches far beyond the football field. In the classroom, his student-athletes maintain a high level of academic excellence, including six Academic All-Americans in his first 10 seasons. 

Stanford's 2020 season was unlike any in program history, as Shaw guided the Cardinal to four straight wins to finish the season, en route to a 4-2 overall record. Playing a six-game, conference-only schedule due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, Stanford was forced to spend its final 19 days away from campus due to county restrictions.

The Cardinal began its winning streak with a one-point, Big Game win at Cal. Stanford went on to defeat Washington, Oregon State and UCLA on the road to end the year, capping off the UCLA win with a 14-point, fourth-quarter comeback and a double-overtime victory. 

Shaw was named to the Uplifting Athletes' Rare Disease Champion Team in 2020. In 2018, Shaw was a bone marrow donor for his brother, Eric, who is now cancer free after battling a rare disease for over seven years. 

In 2019, Stanford endured many injuries to starters and key players throughout the season. The Cardinal played 21 true freshmen, including 12 who used a year of eligibility by playing in more than four games, and eight who combined for 43 starts throughout the season. The Cardinal started three true freshmen on the offensive line for half the year, while four true freshmen started at least one game along the offensive line.

Off the field, Stanford student-athletes continued to shine. The Cardinal had a league-best 33 named to the Pac-12 Honor Roll, which honors any student-athlete who boasts at least a 3.3 cumulative grade-point average, excluding freshmen. In addition, two Cardinal earned recognition for arguably the biggest off-field accolades in college football. Fifth-year OLB Casey Toohill was named one of 12 finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy and a member of the NFF Scholar-Athlete Class, while junior WR Connor Wedington was a member of the AFCA Allstate Good Works Team, given to 11 FBS players who stand out both on the field and in the community.  

Additionally, Colby Parkinson (fourth round, Seattle) and Casey Toohill (seventh round, Philadelphia) were selected in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Five Cardinal were selected in the 2019 NFL Draft, highlighted by JJ Arcega-Whiteside’s second round selection to the Philadelphia Eagles. Inside linebacker Bobby Okereke was selected in the third round by the Indianapolis Colts, running back Bryce Love in the fourth round by the Washington Redskins, punter Jake Bailey in the fifth round by the New England Patriots and tight end Kaden Smith in the sixth round by the San Francisco 49ers. Seven other Cardinal were given NFL opportunities following the draft, including five who signed as undrafted free agents.

In 2018, Shaw led Stanford to its 10th straight bowl game, extending the longest active streak in the Pac-12. The Cardinal defeated Pitt in the 2018 Sun Bowl for their fifth bowl game victory in eight seasons under Shaw. Quarterback K.J. Costello finished with the second-most passing yards and third-most touchdowns in a season in school history, while wideout JJ Arcega-Whiteside tied a 41-year-old school record with 14 receiving touchdowns. 

A season prior, Stanford did most of its damage on the ground as its 5.9 rushing yards/attempt ranked first in program history, and its 2,833 rushing yards ranked fourth. Running back Bryce Love set the school’s single-season (2,118) and single-game (301) rushing records while being named the 2017 Doak Walker Award winner. Love, also the Lombardi Award winner and Heisman Trophy runner-up, set Stanford’s career records for yards/rush (7.76) and consecutive 100-yard rushing games (9). The unanimous All-American combined with Cameron Scarlett to form the top rushing tandem in program history.

Love was the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year and winner of the Touchdown Club of Columbus Jim Brown Award. He ranked first among Power 5 conference running backs in over a dozen categories, including FBS records for 50-yard rushes (13), consecutive games with a 30-yard rush (13) and consecutive games with a 50-yard rush (11).

Four Cardinal student-athletes were selected in the 2018 NFL Draft -- Justin Reid (third), Harrison Phillips (third), Dalton Schultz (fourth) and Peter Kalambayi (sixth).

Shaw led the Cardinal to the 2016 Sun Bowl where the 25-23 win over the Tar Heels marked the fourth bowl victory for Shaw, the most in program history, to cap a 10-3 season in which the Cardinal ranked 12th in the final AP and USA Today polls. The Cardinal also won at least 10 games for the fifth time in six seasons under Shaw. From 1891-2010, the program recorded four 10-win seasons.

Even more, the program posted a graduation success rate of 99 percent for the third consecutive year, a total that led all FBS institutions and ranked 11 points higher than the next Pac-12 school. Stanford joined Clemson, Duke, Northwestern and Wisconsin as the only FBS football teams to earn APR Public Recognition Awards from the NCAA in each of the previous four years.

Stanford in 2016 ranked eighth nationally in defensive touchdowns (4), 12th in winning percentage (.769), 17th in time of possession (32:46), 22nd in team sacks (2.85), 18th in scoring defense (20.4) and 25th in team passing efficiency defense (117.8). All-America running back Christian McCaffrey ranked first in all-purpose yards per game (211.6), fourth in rushing yards (145.7) and 20th in rushing yards per carry (6.34). Conrad Ukropina ranked fifth in field goals per game (1.83). Dallas Lloyd ranked 13th in total interceptions (5) and 18th in interceptions per game (0.4). Jake Bailey ranked 24th in punting (43.5).

The Cardinal set single-season school records for top rushing tandem (2,386 -- McCaffrey and Bryce Love), and, at the time, the  individual single-game school record for rushing yards (284 -- McCaffrey at Cal).

Stanford had two top-10 NFL Draft picks for only the fifth time, following the 2016 season. Solomon Thomas was the third overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers, and was the highest drafted defensive player in program history. Thomas also won the Pac-12’s Morris Trophy, given to the league’s top lineman. McCaffrey, the CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year, was selected by the Carolina Panthers with the eighth overall pick. He was Stanford’s highest running back draft pick since 1982.

Following the 2015 season, Stanford became the only school ever ranked in the top four by U.S. News and World Report (4th) and the Associated Press (3rd) in the same year.

Stanford was 12-2 overall and 8-1 in Pac-12 play in 2015, going on to win the Pac-12 and Rose Bowl crowns and improving Shaw’s postseason record to 6-2. The Cardinal toppled five ranked opponents, including top-10 foes in No. 6 USC, No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 6 Iowa. Stanford was one of four teams in 2015 to record five or more wins over AP Top 25 opponents and one of four teams with three or more wins over AP top-10 foes. 

McCaffrey was named AP Player of the Year and won the Paul Hornung Award and Johnny “Jet” Rodgers Award. McCaffrey, also a Heisman Trophy finalist, set the NCAA record for all-purpose yards (3,864) and earned Academic All-America honors. McCaffrey earned consensus All-America first team nods and Outland Trophy winner Joshua Garnett received unanimous All-America distinction. Blake Martinez and Austin Hooper were named All-America third-teamers. Fifteen Cardinal were lauded with All-Pac-12 honors and 22 received All-Pac-12 academic distinction.

McCaffrey posted the top four FBS individual all-purpose single-game performances in 2015 and his 461 all-purpose yards vs. USC in the Pac-12 Championship Game was fifth-most in FBS history. He owned three of the top five 100-yard receiving and rushing games by an FBS player and became the only FBS player ever with 200 rushing, 100 receiving and 100 kickoff return yards vs. USC.

For the third time in five seasons, Shaw was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year and McCaffrey earned Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year honors. Shaw was the AFCA Regional Coach of the Year and a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award and Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year.

Shaw is the quickest to earn three Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors.

Five Cardinal heard their names called during the draft: Garnett (first round - San Francisco 49ers), Hooper (third round - Atlanta Falcons), Martinez (fourth round - Green Bay Packers), Kevin Hogan (fifth round - Kansas City Chiefs) and Kyle Murphy (sixth round - Green Bay Packers). 

Stanford received an NCAA GSR of 99 percent for the second consecutive year in 2015, a total that led all FBS and FCS institutions.

Shaw was instrumental in the maturation of Hogan during his Cardinal career. Hogan appeared in more than 50 contests and posted a school-best 36-10 record as a starter. He ranked first in career total offense (10,634), second in completion percentage (.659) and passing efficiency (154.6), and third in passing yards (9,385) and passing touchdowns (75). His 171.0 passing efficiency clip in 2015 was the best single-season mark ever by a Cardinal signal caller. Hogan also set school records for career rushing yards (1,249) and touchdowns (15) by a quarterback.

Stanford’s West Coast offense led the nation with 13 consecutive games scoring at least 30 points. Stanford amassed a school-record 3,131 rushing yards on 610 attempts in 2015, the most ever by a Cardinal program. The offensive unit’s 529 points ranked second-most in a season and its 33 rushing touchdowns, 223.7 rushing yards/game, 30 passing touchdowns, 37.8 points/game and 6,097 total yards of offense ranked third.

He notched 30 wins in his first 35 games, which was the third-fastest among active coaches, and was one of only three coaches to guide his team to BCS bowls in his first three years as a head coach.

Shaw won 40 games in his first 52 outings at Stanford, tying with Pop Warner for the fastest to 40 wins by any Cardinal head coach.

With a win in the 2014 Foster Farms Bowl, Shaw became the first Stanford head coach with at least eight wins in each of his first four seasons.

Stanford won eight games in 2014 and closed the season on a three-game winning streak. The Cardinal scored at least 30 points in seven of 13 games.

While facing six nationally ranked opponents in 2014, including four on the road, the Cardinal defensive unit helped Stanford rank second nationally in scoring defense (16.4 points/game), third in total defense (282.4 yards/game), seventh in rushing defense (104.5 yards/game) and eighth in passing defense (177.9 yards/game). The Cardinal joined Penn State and Clemson as the only three teams to finish in the top-10 nationally in all four categories. The team was also among the best nationally in getting to the quarterback, ranking sixth with 46 sacks. Stanford also led the nation in punt return average and strong safety Jordan Richards garnered the 2014 National Football Foundation’s Scholar-Athlete Award.

In 2013, Shaw led Stanford to a second straight Pac-12 title and the program’s 14th trip to the Rose Bowl. Stanford became the only team to earn four consecutive BCS bowl bids during the Bowl Championship Series era.

After leading the team to a landmark 2013 regular season, Shaw received AFCA Regional Coach of the Year honors and was named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award and Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year.

Under Shaw’s tutelage in 2013, Stanford was one of 13 FBS football schools and the only Pac-12 football program to earn a Division I Academic Progress Rate Public Recognition Award for posting multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent of all squads.

Stanford defeated five nationally-ranked opponents at home in 2013 while winning 11 games despite playing the fifth-toughest schedule nationally in the Sagarin ratings. Stanford was among just three schools (Alabama and Oregon) with 10 or more wins in each season from 2010-13.

Stanford finished the 2013 campaign ranked fifth in the BCS standings, the fourth straight top 10 BCS ranking for the Cardinal. The team ranked sixth in the final 2012 BCS standings, following back-to-back No. 4 rankings at the end of the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

The 2013 team ranked among the nation’s best in kickoff return average (1st), rushing defense (3rd), tackles for loss allowed (4th), sacks (t-7th), scoring defense (10th), kickoff coverage (10th), total defense (14th), sacks allowed (16th), red zone offense (16th), passing efficiency (17th) and red zone defense (19th).

Stanford had six players receive All-Pac-12 first-team honors with 19 all-conference selections in 2013. There were also eight different national awards that listed Stanford players as semifinalists and finalists. There were 25 players chosen to the Pac-12 All-Academic team and four were placed on the Capital One Academic All-District list, including Jordan Richards who was a second team All-America selection.

For the fifth straight year, Stanford had three or more players selected in the NFL Draft when Trent Murphy (second round - Washington), Cameron Fleming (fourth round - New England), David Yankey (fifth round - Minnesota), Ed Reynolds (fifth round - Philadelphia), Tyler Gaffney (sixth round - Carolina) and Ben Gardner (seventh round - Dallas) signed professional contracts after the 2013 season. The six draft picks in 2014 matched a program-best.

Shaw guided the Cardinal to a 12-2 record in 2012 and its first Pac-12 championship in 13 years. The campaign culminated with Stanford’s first Rose Bowl victory in over 40 years, a 20-14 win over Wisconsin in 2013.

Shaw was named the 2012 Pac-12 Conference Coach of the Year, becoming the second to earn the honor outright in consecutive seasons since the award’s inception in 1975. Stanford became the first school to defeat programs ranked No. 1 (Oregon) and 2 (USC) in the AP poll during the regular season and the Cardinal closed its season with five straight wins over as many ranked opponents.

Stanford’s historic defensive output in 2012 broke the single-season sacks record (57) and led the Pac-12 in scoring defense (17.21), total defense (336.21), rushing defense (97.0), sacks (4.07) and tackles for loss (9.00). The Cardinal ranked first nationally in sacks, second in tackles for loss, fifth in rushing defense and 11th in scoring defense.

Stanford became the first program to win both the AFCA Academic Achievement Award and a BCS bowl game in the same season.

Three Stanford players were selected in the 2013 draft -- Zach Ertz (second round - Philadelphia), Levine Toilolo (fourth round - Atlanta) and Stepfan Taylor (fifth round - Arizona). Taylor, a Doak Walker Award semifinalist, set the Stanford record with 4,300 rushing yards and Ertz led Stanford pass catchers and all FBS tight ends in receiving yards (898) and total receptions (69), both school records for a tight end. Ertz was a John Mackey Award finalist and the seventh unanimous All-American in program history.

Stanford was one of five schools to have four or more players selected to the 2012 AP All-America teams, with Ertz earning the honor along with David Yankey (second team), Trent Murphy (third team) and Ed Reynolds (third team). Yankey was a consensus All-American.

In Shaw’s first season as head coach, the 2011 edition of the Cardinal posted an 11-2 record and made its second consecutive BCS appearance, falling to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl. Shaw became just the ninth major college head coach in history to post 11 or more wins in his first season, and the first since Chris Peterson (13-0) of Boise State and Bret Bielema (12-1) of Wisconsin in 2006.

Shaw was named the 2011 Pac-12 Coach of the Year, becoming just the third in Stanford history to earn the award, following Bill Walsh (1977) and Tyrone Willingham (1995, 1999). He was named AFCA Regional Coach of the Year and a Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year finalist.

The Cardinal was ranked in the top 10 of both major polls for all 16 weeks of the season, peaking at No. 3 in the AP poll and No. 2 in the USA Today Coaches poll on Nov. 6.

Behind 2011 Heisman Trophy finalist Andrew Luck, Stanford averaged 43.2 points/game and established a school-record with 561 points. Stanford’s 11 victories in 2011 came by an average of 27.4 points.

Stanford’s 2011 defense was ranked first or second in the Pac-12 in six categories, including rushing defense (1st - 84.4), third-down conversion defense (1st - 31.1), scoring defense (2nd - 21.9), total defense (2nd - 337.6), sacks/game (2nd - 3.00) and opponent first downs (2nd - 17.5).

Luck was named Walter Camp Football Foundation National Player of the Year along with receiving the Maxwell Award as the nation’s top player. He finished second in the balloting for the Heisman Trophy and was the Pac-12’s Offensive Player of the Year for a second straight season.

Right guard David DeCastro was a unanimous All-America selection; left tackle Jonathan Martin landed spots on the Walter Camp and AFCA All-America squads; tight end Coby Fleener and outside linebacker Chase Thomas were named All-Americans by Sporting News.

In all, 21 players earned All-Pac-12 honors in 2011, including six first-teamers. Twelve earned Pac-12 All-Academic honors, including first-team selections Luck and Brent Etiz. Luck was also named the Capital One Academic All-American of the Year by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Prior to his appointment as head coach, Shaw served as Stanford’s offensive coordinator for four seasons, playing an instrumental role in the resurgence of the Cardinal program which established school scoring records in 2009 and 2010 before setting another scoring mark in his first year as head coach.

During Shaw’s tenure as offensive coordinator, the Cardinal scored 40 or more points in 11 games from 2007-10.

Stanford’s balanced offense amassed a school-record 6,142 yards during the 2010 season, averaging 213.8 on the ground and 258.7 yards through the air.

In addition, Shaw’s play calling in the red zone helped Stanford convert on a national-best 88.6 percent of its scoring opportunities inside the 20-yard line.

Prior to Stanford, Shaw served as the wide receivers and passing game coordinator at the University of San Diego during the 2006 season, winning the Division I-AA Mid-Major national title and the Pioneer League championship with the nation’s top offense.

The Toreros led all NCAA Division I-AA teams in passing offense (293.3 yards/game), total offense (494.25) and scoring offense (42.83). Quarterback Josh Johnson was one of four offensive All-Americans on the team and led all NCAA Division I-AA quarterbacks in passing efficiency (169.0 quarterback rating), touchdown passes (34), passing yards (3,320) and total offense (336.7).

Shaw’s coaching resume also includes nine years of NFL experience with the Philadelphia Eagles (1997), Oakland Raiders (1998-2001) and Baltimore Ravens (2002-05).

Shaw’s last coaching job in the NFL with Baltimore included a stint as the quarterbacks and wide receivers coach from 2002-04 before working solely with the wide receivers in 2005. His tenure included an AFC North title in 2003. Derrick Mason set a franchise record with 86 receptions for 1,073 yards under Shaw’s tutelage in 2005. Mark Clayton set a franchise rookie record for receptions in 2005 when he caught 44 balls for 471 yards.

After three seasons of quality control with the Oakland Raiders from 1998-2000, Shaw moved into the role of quarterbacks coach in 2001 as the Raiders won a second straight AFC West title. Quarterback Rich Gannon made the Pro Bowl for the second straight season and was the game’s MVP.

Shaw began his NFL coaching career as the quality control coach with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1997.

He launched his coaching career at Western Washington, where he coached outside linebackers in 1995 and the tight ends in 1996.

A four-year letterwinner at Stanford from 1991-94 as a receiver, Shaw was a member of Stanford’s 1991 Aloha Bowl team coached by Dennis Green that finished the season 8-4 and was the third-highest scoring team in school history at the time. He was also on the Cardinal team that went 10-3 and won the 1993 Blockbuster Bowl under Bill Walsh. Shaw finished his Stanford career with 57 catches for 664 yards and five touchdowns.

He also competed in a varsity track meet and a varsity basketball game before graduating in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology.

Shaw’s father, Willie, had two coaching stints at Stanford (1974-76, 1989-91) during his 33-year coaching career, which also included time with the Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers and St. Louis Rams. Stanford announced in 2013 that its defensive coordinator position had been endowed by a gift from an anonymous donor, named in honor of Willie Shaw.

Shaw is Chair of the NCAA Football rules committee and is on the Board of Trustees for the AFCA. He is also on the NCAA Football Competition Committee and represents the Pac-12 on the AFCA Ethics Committee. He was previously on USA Football’s Football Advisory Committee and a member of the NCAA Commission to Combat Campus Sexual Violence. In addition to his work with that commission, Shaw has been a leading advocate of the Set The Expectation program, aimed at working to end the culture of sexual assault and domestic violence among college and high school athletes. Stanford players became the first university in the country to sign the Set The Expectation student pledge, stating they would use their platforms to speak out against sexual assault and violence against women.

Born in San Diego, Shaw and his wife, Kori, are the parents of three children -- Keegan, Carter and Gavin.