Football
- Title:
- Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line
- Email:
- sclark78@kent.edu
- Phone:
- 330-672-3350
Shawn Clark enters his third season at Kent State and first as assistant head coach. Clark joined the Flashes' staff in January of 2013 as the offensive line coach and was quickly promoted to run game coordinator. While maintaining duties as offensive line coach, he was promoted to assistant head coach in January of 2015, taking on administrative reponsibilities.
In 2013, a relatively inexperienced Golden Flashes’ offensive line improved as the season went on, allowing just one sack in their final three games. The Kent State line also paved the way for back-to-back 300-yard rushing games to end the season.
Kent State's offensive line was plagued with injuries and tragedy in 2014, but showed progress throughout the season. The Flashes used seven different offensive line combinations, while five linemen made their first career start. The Kent State line did not allow more than one sack in the final seven games of 2014.
Prior to Kent State, Clark spent the previous four seasons as Purdue University’s offensive line coach, helping the Boilermakers to a pair of bowl appearances.
During the 2011 season, Clark’s offensive line led the way for a rushing attack that produced 100 yards rushing in 11-of-13 games. The Boilermakers went on to win the Little Caesers Pizza Bowl. Tackle Dennis Kelly earned honorable mention All-Big Ten accolades and was selected in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. Also in that draft, guard Nick Mondek was picked by the Houston Texans in the sixth round, marking the first time since 2007 that two Purdue lineman were picked in the same draft.
In 2010, Clark’s line cleared the way for a rushing attack that finished with five straight games of 200 or more rushing yards, which had only occurred twice before in Purdue history. Clark saw three of his lineman earn All-Big Ten honorable mention accolades in both 2010 and 2009.
Prior to Purdue, Clark was the offensive line coach at Eastern Kentucky from 2003-2008. In six seasons, nine offensive linemen earned All-Ohio Valley Conference honors, including three in the 2007 season. He coached three All-Americans and three future National Football League players: Larry Turner of the St. Louis Rams, Sean Dumford of the Baltimore Ravens and Derek Hardman of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In 2007 and 2008, the Colonels won back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference championships. For three seasons during Clark’s tenure, Eastern Kentucky led the conference in total offense.
Clark began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Louisville in 2001 and 2002.
He was a four-year starting offensive lineman at Appalachian State, earning All-Southern Conference honors three times and All-American honors twice. He missed the entire 1997 season with an injury, but came back to earn Walter Camp All-American First Team honors in 1998.
Clark is a native of Charleston, W. Va. He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Appalachian State in 1998 and a master’s degree in education from Louisville in 2003. His wife Jonelle was inducted into the Eastern Kentucky Hall of Fame as a softball player in 2008. The couple has a daughter, Giana and a son, Braxton.
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