Stanford Football Coach David Shaw Resigns

He spent 12 years as the Cardinal head coach.

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Stanford football head coach David Shaw announced early Sunday morning that he is stepping down as the team’s football coach, effective immediately. He made the announcement after Stanford’s loss to BYU to end the regular season.

“After many prayers and multiple discussions with my wife, one phrase keeps coming to me — it’s time,” Shaw said in a statement. “There are not sufficient words to describe the love and gratitude I feel for my family, all of my former and current players, my staff, this administration and the entire Stanford family. Thank you all.”

Shaw, who played wide receiver at Stanford in the early 1990s, spent 12 years as head coach, taking over for Jim Harbaugh when he left for the NFL before the 2011 season. In his first eight seasons at the helm, Shaw led the Cardinal to eight consecutive winning seasons and bowl appearances, which included two Rose Bowl wins in three appearances.

However, the past four years haven’t been as successful for Stanford and Shaw. The team hasn’t appeared in a bowl game since the 2018 season and has endured a losing record in three of the four seasons. Over the past two seasons, Stanford is 6-18 and 3-15 in conference.

Shaw resigns as the winningest football coach in Stanford history with a 96-54 overall record. He was 5-3 in bowl games. Although he has received interest from NFL teams over the years, Shaw said he doesn’t plan in returning to the sidelines at the moment.

“There is no desire for me to coach somewhere else,” he said, via The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel.

Despite the recent struggles, Stanford AD Bernard Muir thanked Shaw for the way he ran the team over the past decade.

“David has represented Stanford football, as both a player and a coach, with unwavering grace, humility and integrity,” Muir said. “He has cared tremendously for each and every student-athlete in his program while helping them pursue their full academic and athletic potential. David will forever remain a valued member of the Stanford football family and an integral part of the storied history of the program.” 

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