Douglas William Shanks (October 25, 1946 - September 4, 2023) was an American
college baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...
coach. He was a city commissioner of
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, along with Raymond. The city had a population of 153,701 at t ...
and was on their city council.MS Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 596 https://da.mdah.ms.gov/series-files/sos/sosenrolled/sos-enrolled-2015/sos-enrolled-2015-concurrent/sos-enrolled-2015-concurrent-senate/pdf/SCR596.pdf He served as the head coach of the Mississippi Valley State Devils (2001–2014).
Early life
Shanks was born on October 25, 1946, in
Soso, Mississippi
Soso is a town in Jones County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 418 at the 2020 census.
Paul Davis, a singer and songwriter from Meridian, Mississippi, wrote a song called "Sweet Magnolia Blues", which refers to Soso.
History
Ac ...
. Shanks was the son of Fred David and Frances (McMillan) Shanks. Shanks graduated from
Provine High School
John W. Provine High School is a public school in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Jackson Public School District. Nicknamed "Ram City", the school serves students in grades 9–12 in the West Jackson area. Students from the ...
in 1964. He then graduated from
Liberty University
Liberty University (LU) is a private Baptist university in Lynchburg, Virginia. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia ( Southern Baptist Convention). Founded in 1971 by Jerry Falwell Sr. and Elmer L. Towns, Lib ...
.
Political career
Shanks had wanted to become the mayor of
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, along with Raymond. The city had a population of 153,701 at t ...
, since he was a teenager. Before 1977, he served as the Jackson director of public relations. He was the city commissioner of Jackson, Mississippi from 1973 to 1977, under mayor Russell C. Davis. In 1973, he became the first
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
to serve on the Jackson City Council. In 1977 and 1981, as a Republican, he ran for mayor against Democrat
Dale Danks
Alney Dale Danks Jr. (August 27, 1939 – June 9, 2021) was an American attorney who served as the mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, from 1977 to 1989.
Biography
Alney Dale Danks Jr. was born on August 27, 1939, in Miami, Florida, to Alney Dale ...
, but lost.
Coaching career
In 2001, Shanks became the first white head coach of a major sport at Mississippi Valley State, when he became the head baseball coach there. After 14 seasons at
Mississippi Valley State University
Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU, The Valley or Valley) is a public historically black university in Mississippi Valley State, Mississippi, adjacent to Itta Bena, Mississippi. They had four children together. One son,
Fred
Fred may refer to:
People
* Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name
Mononym
* Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French
* Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Rod ...
Brandon
Brandon may refer to:
Names and people
*Brandon (given name), a male given name
*Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins
Places
Australia
*Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales
*Brandon, Q ...