Francis Joseph "Shag" Shaughnessy (April 8, 1883 – May 15, 1969) was an American athlete and sports executive. Shaughnessy played both
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
and
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
and was an executive in baseball, football and
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...
. He was born in the United States and moved to Canada in the 1910s, where he was involved with football and ice hockey teams in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
and
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...
. He was later president of the International League of baseball. His son
Frank Shaughnessy Jr. also played football and ice hockey, and played ice hockey for the United States in the
1936 Winter Olympics
The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games (german: IV. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 ( bar, Garmasch-Partakurch 1936), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 16 ...
.
College
Shaughnessy played football and baseball at the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main c ...
from 1901 to 1904, serving as football captain his senior year.
Baseball
Shaughnessy had brief Major League baseball appearances with the
Washington Senators in 1905 and the
Philadelphia Athletics
The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oakla ...
in 1908.
Shaughnessy was a minor league manager for 19 years between 1909–1936, compiling a 1148–1012 record. He was General Manager of the
Montreal Royals
The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team in Montreal, Quebec, during 1897–1917 and 1928–1960. A member of the International League, the Royals were the top farm club (Class AAA) of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939; ...
from 1932–1934, and a coach for the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
in 1928. He served as President of the
International League
The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ( ...
from 1936–1960, and invented a playoff system known as the
Shaughnessy playoffs. In, 1947, he was inducted in the
International League Hall of Fame
The International League Hall of Fame is an American baseball hall of fame which honors players, managers, and executives of the International League (IL). It was created by the International League Baseball Writers' Association in 1947 to honor t ...
, and in 1953 he was presented with the
King of Baseball
King of Baseball was a ceremonial title awarded annually from 1951 to 2019 by Minor League Baseball to recognize an individual for their longtime dedication and service to professional baseball. It was awarded during baseball's Winter Meetings ...
award given by Minor League Baseball.
Football
He introduced the option play to American football while coaching at
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...
and
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
. He also was football and baseball coach at
Clemson University
Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enr ...
, and football coach at
Washington and Lee University
, mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future"
, established =
, type = Private liberal arts university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.092 billion (2021)
, president = William C. Dudley
, provost = Lena Hill
, city = Lexington ...
.
Shaughnessy was the first professional coach hired in Canadian university football and his full-time appointment at Montreal's
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Univer ...
in 1912 was not well received by the other teams in the league.
In each of his first two years, McGill won the Yates Cup football championship. He coached McGill to a 34-34-2 regular season record in 17 seasons. The 34 victories stood until 1979 as the most by a McGill football coach.
Shaughnessy played baseball during the summer in
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...
, where he met his wife. He became involved in Ottawa sports, and was coach of the
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine ...
for the 1915 season.
A football innovator, Shaughnessy introduced the forward pass to Canadian university football when McGill played
Syracuse University
Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...
in an experimental game held on November 5, 1921 at
Percival Molson Memorial Stadium
Percival Molson Memorial Stadium (also known in French as ''Stade Percival-Molson''; commonly referred to as Molson Stadium in English or Stade Molson in French) is an outdoor football stadium in Downtown Montreal, on the slopes of Mount Royal, ...
in Montreal. In spite of this, the forward pass was not officially allowed in Canadian football rules until 1929.
He was the first football coach in Canada to introduce "X" and "Y" strategic formations and "secondary defence".
In 1969, the Shaughnessy Cup was first presented for local football supremacy between McGill and Loyola College. Since 1975, the Cup has been fought for in an annual challenge match between McGill and Concordia University.
Shaughnessy was inducted as a builder into the
Canadian Football Hall of Fame
The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about ...
in 1963, the
Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (french: Temple de la renommée du baseball canadien) is a museum located in St. Marys, Ontario, Canada. The museum commemorates great players, teams, and accomplishments of baseball in Canada.
H ...
in 1983, its inaugural induction year, and the
McGill University Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.
Ice hockey
While living in Ottawa, Shaughnessy served from 1914 until 1916 as the manager of the
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member ...
.
Shaughnessy coached the McGill women's hockey team and was appointed men's hockey coach in 1919, guiding the Redmen to a 61-56-2 record until stepping down in 1927. The 61 victories established a McGill record and since then, has only been surpassed by four other McGill hockey coaches.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaughnessy, Frank
1880s births
1969 deaths
People from Amboy, Illinois
Baseball players from Illinois
Players of American football from Illinois
Ice hockey people from Illinois
Baseball people from Quebec
Bradford Drillers players
Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductees
Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees
Clemson Tigers baseball coaches
Clemson Tigers football coaches
Cornell Big Red football coaches
Detroit Tigers coaches
Fort Wayne Railroaders players
McGill Redbirds football coaches
McGill University faculty
Minor league baseball executives
Montgomery Senators players
Montreal Royals managers
Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball players
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players
Ottawa Rough Riders coaches
Philadelphia Athletics players
Reading Pretzels players
Roanoke Tigers players
San Francisco Seals (baseball) players
Sioux City Soos players
South Bend Greens players
Sportspeople from Montreal
Syracuse Stars (minor league baseball) players
Warren Bingoes players
Washington and Lee Generals football coaches
Washington Senators (1901–1960) players
Wellsville Rainmakers players
Yale Bulldogs football coaches
Baseball coaches from Illinois
Freeport Pretzels players
Shamokin (minor league baseball) players