Wednesday, July 9, 2014

52 Days 'till Kickoff - Shawn Quinn

It's now 52 days until kickoff of Catamount football at the Raymond James Stadium, home of the University of South Florida Bulls on August 30th in in Tampa, FL. 

To help pass those long summer days until football season starts, and hopefully get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season, we'll continue the 100 day football countdown each day until kickoff day.

#52 is currently not assigned, so we'll highlight an assistant coach 

Shawn Quinn




Position: Assistant Coach / Defensive Coordinator

Alma Mater: Carson-Newman

Shawn Quinn joined the Catamount Football coaching staff in January of 2013 after having spent the 2012 season at Charleston Southern, joining the Buccaneers staff during the summer prior to the season. Under Quinn's tutelage, CSU led the Big South Conference in pass defense (145.5 yards per game) in 2012, while also ranking third in scoring defense and total defense (354.4 ypg), creating 15 turnovers on the year including eight interceptions and seven fumbles.

Quinn additionally has coordinator experience from a year working as the co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La. He is familiar with the Southern Conference as he spent two seasons on staff in Statesboro, Ga., at Georgia Southern. With the Eagles, he held the title of linebackers coach while also serving as the recruiting coordinator.

Quinn began his coaching career at the high school level, coaching outside linebackers and tight ends for a year at Armuchee (Ga.) High before spending five years coaching the defensive line at Maryville (Tenn.) High where he helped lead the team to the 1998 Tennessee Class 4-A state championship. He then landed on the staff of former University of Tennessee head coach, Phillip Fulmer, as an offensive graduate assistant, taking part in the Vols' 2001 SEC East Championship.

All told, from 1999-2002, Quinn coached in three bowl games under Fulmer and served as the position coach for Lou Groza Award finalist, placekicker Alex Walls, who earned All-SEC and second team All-America honors from the Sporting News in 2000.

From 2002-07, Quinn coached outside linebackers and the defensive line at Louisiana-Lafayette where six defensive linemen earned All-Sun Belt Conference honors. The Ragin' Cajuns earned a share of the 2005 Sun Belt Conference championship with a total of six players going on to join the NFL. He also worked as a defensive line assistant for LSU during the 2008 season. Five Tiger linemen went on to NFL training camps including Tyson Jackson being selected in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft.

Overall, seventeen of Quinn's signees at his various collegiate stops have gone on to play in the NFL.

A four-year starter along the defensive line at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn., Quinn was an All-South Atlantic Conference (SAC) selection, helping the Eagles claim four conference championships. He graduated with a degree in history and political science in 1995 before earning a Master's degree from Lincoln Memorial University.




Courtesy WCU Athletic Media Relations

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