Clark Daniel Shaughnessy

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Clark Daniel Shaughnessy (originally O'Shaughnessy) (1892–1970) was an American football coach and entrepreneur.

He is often described as the "father of the T formation" and the original holder of the forward pass, though the technique had existed in the 1880s.

Shaughnessy did, however, modernize the obsessive T formation to make it once more relevant in the game, particularly for quarterback and receiver positions.

He used his inventions primarily on offense, but also on the defensive side of the game, and he earned a reputation as a tireless experimenter. Shaughnessy served as a head coach at Tulane University, Loyola University, Stanford University, the University of Maryland, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Hawaii, and the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League.

Shaughnessy has also worked with the Chicago Bears and the Washington Redskins in strategic roles. In his first season at Stanford, he led the Indians to an undefeated season that culminated in a Rose Bowl victory.

He also helped prepare the Chicago Bears for the 1940 NFL Championship Game, in which they defeated Washington, 73–0.

Shaughnessy's triumphs demonstrated the T formation's effectiveness and aided in its widespread use.

In 1968, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Shaughnessy has also worked at Tulane University in college basketball.

At the University of Minnesota, he played college football.

Early life and college

Shaughnessy was born in St. Louis, 1892, on March 6, 1892. Cloud, Minnesota, the second son of Lucy Ann (Foster) and Edward Shaughnessy. He attended North St. Paul High School, but had no athletic experience before college. He played college football under head coach Henry L. Williams and alongside halfback Bernie Bierman while attending the University of Minnesota, but not before that. Williams was regarded as the best passer from the Midwest by Shaughnessy, who also named Williams as football's best coach. Shaughnessy was in charge of both passing and kicking for the team.

He played for the 1910-1913 and 1913 varsity squad, first as an end, then a tackle in 1912, and then as a fullback in 1913. Shaughnessy said he preferred the tackle position out of three of the three contenders. In 1912, he recovered three fumbles against Iowa, and Walter Camp named him as an alternate on his All-America team. Shaughnessy was selected to the All-Big Ten Conference first team as a senior.

Shaughnessy competed in basketball as a guard and ran track in the 440- and 880 yard tournaments. Despite the fact that he never played or knew the rules, the Minnesota athletic director begged him to join the basketball team before a game against Illinois. He joined the track and field team in a similar fashion, and he was able to save a half-mile runner even though he didn't own or never used track spikes. Shaughnessy was described as "one of Minnesota's most versatile athletes" in The Big Tension: A Centuries of Excellence. Shaughnessy also competed as a rower with the St. Paul Boat Club. He was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

Personal life

Clark Shaughnessy, Jr., Janice Shaughnessy, Jr., and Marcia Wilson married L. Mae in December 1917, with whom he had one son and two daughters. When teaching at Tulane, he met his wife in New Orleans. Shaughnessy, a teetotaler, had a pessimistic view of both drinkers and smokers. "Let's go have a drink," he said, "Let's go have a drink," he meant, "Let's have a drink." Marchmont Schwartz added, "Let's go have a drink." That way disappointed a lot of newspapermen." He loved long-distance running, as well as his declared interest as a football coach and experimenter. Although his household slept, Shaughnessy preferred to devise plays late at night, between midnight and dawn. He was described as a "ascetic" in a 1977 Sports Illustrated article, and his lifestyle as "Spartan." According to it, he will go to bed as early as 7 o'clock and wake up for work at three or four a.m.

Shaughnessy did not react well to criticism. In one instance, he demanded that a critical columnist leave a Northern California Football Writers' Association meeting. During a 45-minute coach at Pittsburgh, Shaughnessy reacted to criticism that he had been too conservative in a 6–0 win over Temple and taken too many risks in a 39–9 loss to Notre Dame. "You tell me what to do," he said. Should we play a conservative game, lay down the score, and try to be safe, or will we gamble, with a frantic desire to win but losing by a big score if we fail?"

Clark Shaughnessy as a conscient idealist who may have better followed Father Flanagan of Boys Town after he joined the Chicago Bears' staff, according to sportswriter Roger Treat. He may never be completely content with pro football's jovial thuggery, in which every man has a little assassin in him. "When Clark Shaughnessy decided on football coaching," Illinois head coach Robert Zuppke said, "the world lost the greatest undertaker."

Bill Kreutzmann, a Grateful Dead drummer, is Shaughnessy's grandson.

Later life

Shaughnessy has relocated to Santa Monica, California. He was admitted to Santa Monica Hospital for hypertension on May 4, 1970. On May 15, he died at the age of 78.

In 1968, Shaughnessy was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Shaughnessy was a semifinalist in the 2010 Pro Football Hall of Fame class, but he was not selected. In 1970, 1975, and 1976, Shaughnessy had been a finalist for induction, but they fell short of the election each time. He was inducted into the University of Minnesota "M" Club Hall of Fame in 2010, as well as the Stanford University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1977.

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Coaching career

In 1914, he spent one season as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Minnesota. Shaughnessy was elected head football coach in 1915 over other candidates Dana X. Bible and Charley Moran. Both Notre Dame assistant coach Knute Rockne and Ray Morrison were unable to attend an interview in New Orleans, and Tulane officials wanted a face-to-face meeting with the applicants. Shaughnessy was charged $1,875 ($50,224 adjusted for inflation) to be its football, basketball, and track coach, as well as the athletic director. When he arrived, the football field was in disrepair and the equipment was woefully poor. Shaughnessy paid to buy new equipment for the team because the athletic department was in dire financial distress. He wrote letters to sixty schools to get additional games in the upcoming season, with just one opponent scheduled.

The Minnesota shift was introduced to Tulane by Shaughnessy, a departure conceived by his former coach Henry L. Williams. Shaughnessy had transformed Tulane into a major player in Southern collegiate teams by 1919. He coached them to a then-school record of seven consecutive victories during the season. In 1920, Germany Schulz was hired to take over as the athletic director, but he also assisted Shaughnessy as the line coach from 1923 to 1925.

Shaughnessy employed Bernie Bierman, his ex teammate, as an assistant coach in 1923. Bierman served on the staff for three seasons before being transferred to Mississippi A&M's head coach. Tulane set a new school record for victories in 1924 and ended with an 8-0 record. The Green Wave dominated the previous year's record by a 9–0-1 record. Schools officials refused to invite Washington to play in the Rose Bowl because the Tulane players were too small, according to school authorities. Shaughnessy had been hired after his undefeated season, but he instead decided to sign a ten-year contract with Tulane.

He replied to those who asked how the "Shaughnessy System" worked so well in an 1926 article written for the NEA News Service. "If there is a 'Shaughnessy system' at Tulane, if it has any'secret," two words have given the whole story—common sense." All I've done at Tulane is to take the information I found and teach it in plays based on each man's individual capabilities."

Despite optimistic preseason forecasts, Tulane's first and only losing season of Shaughnessy's tenure in 1926. After Clarence Spears' resignation, he was considered for Northwestern's head job in February 1927. Shaughnessy received similar calls from Louisiana State and Wisconsin later this year. He resigned without a reason on April 8, 1927, and was subsequently dismissed from his employment. Bernie Bierman, Tulane's ex assistant, was fired. Shaughnessy credited him with building a formidable team at Tulane, as well as securing more funds and improved facilities, while still paying them "a penny." Shaughnessy's tenure spanned 7 decades, and as of 2010, he holds the record for the most victories of any Tulane football coach. He coached the basketball team for three seasons between 1915 and 1918, amassing a 27–15 record.

Shaughnessy, a neighbor of Loyola of the South, had been recruited as the South's head football coach in June 1927. According to The Wow Boys: A Coach, a Team, and a Turning Point in College Football, a New Orleans millionaire gave him $175,000 to coach Loyola for ten years (which was adjusted for inflation). At the time, he was one of the highest-paid football coaches in the country.

Loyola's 1928 journey to South Bend, Indiana, to play Notre Dame in its season opener. The Wolves took the lead after 6–0 halftime before they collapsed, 12–6. "Never give me another 'warm-up game' against a team coached by the guy," Notre Dame head coach Knute Rockne reportedly said after the game. "Modesty forbids... in the ensuing year," Rockne was asked to name the best football coach and replied, "Modesty forbids." Clark Shaughnessy is one of America's top football coaches, but I can only think of two.

Shaughnessy stayed on the forward pass at Loyola. In 1930, the Wolves defeated larger yet unprepared Iowa State and Detroit teams in a weeks of combined passing play. During his time as coach, he was dubbed "the greatest one-man coaching staff in football." He also carried his modified version of the Minnesota shift to Loyola, which he said no opponent had been able to fully counteract. Shaughnessy was regarded as a candidate for the head coaching position in 1931. Despite coaching elsewhere, Shaughnessy stayed in New Orleans because he loved the area and his wife's hometown, and it was his wife's hometown. Loyola's 38–16–6 record stood from 1927 to 1932.

Dr. Robert Maynard Hutchins, the head coach of University of Chicago, was fired after the 1932 season because he was too old for the position. Stagg later became a coach at the College of the Pacific. In 1933, athletic director T. Nelson Metcalf recruited Shaughnessy to replace Stagg as the head coach. Shaughnessy inherited a difficult situation in Chicago, and the bulk of the time, lacked good information. However, he did inherit from Stagg at least one important recruit: inaugural Heisman Trophy winner and future Hall of Fame back Jay Berwanger, who many Midwest pundits regard as the best back of the 1930s.

End-of-term testing was replaced by an academic program that was introduced in 1933 called the New Plan or the Chicago Plan. This new schedule was in conflict with spring football training, which was short-lived every season until it was eventually scrapped entirely. In the fall, time was devoted to basics without the extra effort to understand Shaughnessy's complicated system. The new strategy also restricted the availability of suitable football players: It encouraged younger students to enroll, discouraged student transfer, and stringent academic prerequisites were enforced to maintain athletic eligibility. "Others do legitimate recruiting, which we do not have," Metcalf said. The establishment of a physical education major in Chicago would place Chicago at a disadvantage to its Big Ten opponents, according to university president Hutchins.

Shaughnessy thought he'd have a solid line but not so much backfield at the first session in 1933. He told the assembled candidates that they would use an open game and fast passing attack to offset their disadvantages. Shaughnessy gave the first tackle of each game to the player's girlfriend in his first season. Similar awards were given to the most coveted player, best tackler, and best blocker in the "C" group.

Shaughnessy recruited Marchmont Schwartz as an assistant coach in January 1934. Schwartz had been with Shaughnessy's Loyola freshman team before he transferred to Notre Dame. Shaughnessy expressed disappointment in February when Ohio State lost head coach Sam Willaman and said he had already assembled his coaching staff and had no desire to leave Chicago. Harvard gave Shaughnessy a job as its head coach in 1935, which he greatly regretted. Chicago decided to keep him, perhaps with a salary increase, and I guess the Harvard job went to former Western Maryland coach Dick Harlow.

Shaughnessy's Chicago teams lost each year from 1936 to 1939, breaking even in any of their first three seasons. Chicago wonless in the Big Ten Conference in 1939 and ended the season 2–6 record. The Maroons were defeated by their opponents, 308-37, and they were unable to record a loss in each case. These included victories by Michigan, 85–0; Ohio State, 61–0; Illinois, 6–0; Harvard, 6–0; and Virginia, 47–0. President Hutchins, who detested the sport and said "there is no doubt that football has been a significant handicap to education in the United States," lobbied to have the program disbanded. "I did not de-emphasize football at the University of Chicago, but I banned it," he said. Hutchins hoped that the step would lead to other universities, but it did not happen.

Shaughnessy may have stayed in Chicago, where he lived a "lifetime sinecure" as a physical education instructor and earned a lucrative salary of $7,500 ($146,106 adjusted for inflation). He referred to football as his obsession and obsession. His last record at Chicago was 17-34–4.

Shaughnessy befriended George Halas, the owner and coach of the Chicago Bears, during his time as a mentor. Halas recruited Ralph Jones, the athletic director and football coach at nearby Lake Forest College, who had been his freshman coach at the University of Illinois in 1914. Illinois employed the T formation in "its most rudimentary way" under head coach Robert Zuppke. Jones experimented with the old T formation, pushed one receiver out, and used a back as a man in motion, the latter usually being Red Grange. While these advancements were revolutionary, they weren't game-changing, and the T was used to augment the single-wing attack rather than replace it. Shaughnessy portrayed to Halas his T formation as "hidden ball stuff," but with power. He had not employed it at the University of Chicago because he didn't have the players to do it. Shaughnessy began working part-time with the Bears as a consultant (perf.). In that capacity, he helped refine the T design and analyzed survey findings. The Bears continued to experiment with the T, and after Shaughnessy left Chicago, the team's new offensive formation was established in 1940. Shaughnessy has been credited by the media for the invention of the T formation for a few times. "He was nevertheless unquestionably the father of the modern T-attack," the Associated Press reported. Shaughnessy called it the oldest football team in the country.

The Stanford Indians set a 1–7–1 record in 1939 to finish last in the Pacific Coast Conference, resulting in the departure of head coach Tiny Thornhill. The 1939 Stanford Indians were regarded as the worst team to have ever represented the university at the time. Stanford unsuccessfully tried to recruit Missouri coach Don Faurot early in the season. Stanford officials were surprised to learn that Shaughnessy, a coach of only occasionally strong squads, was one of his most popular candidates during their career search. Many people think him as a "mad scientist" of football experimentation. Stanford University has been given a five-year contract with Shaughnessy as its head football coach, after losing to former frontrunner John Bain Sutherland. "I didn't expect it," Shaughnessy said, "I didn't expect it."

Many Stanford alumni were dissatisfied with the decision to recruit Shaughnessy. Two Stanford alumni, Dudley DeGroot, and Santa Clara coach Buck Shaw were among the most popular candidates for the open seat: Stanford coach Dudley DeGroot and Santa Clara coach Buck Shaw. Some believed the Shaughnessy recruiting was a bid to eventually eliminate football at the school, as had happened at Loyola and Chicago the year before. The Shaughnessy recruits were ridicuously inept by the Bay Area media, who mocked them as ironically inept. They believed that an elite academic school had mistakenly recruited an inveterate loser as its head coach. The San Francisco Examiner and Jack McDonald of the San Francisco Call-Bulletin coined the word "Soup" for Shaughnessy, which they sarcastically explained as a diminutive of the word "super." "We've heard it," Sullivan wrote, "Shughnessy has mastered the art of losing to the point where, with him, it's an exact science." We aren't at all surprised at this, considering his track. Shaughnessy's abilities were also questionable by the Stanford players. "We'd been reading about all the beatings Shaughnessy's guys had suffered," Center Milt Vucinich said, "We'd been reading about all the beatings, so we were joking among ourselves that it wasn't fair to hire someone like this to guide us."

Despite Stanford's performance in previous seasons, Thornhill was left homeless with a talented roster that included 24 returning lettermen. Shaughnessy thought the players were fine, but not well suited to the single-wing offense that his predecessor had used. Shaughnessy inherited Frankie Albert, who regarded him as a prototypical T formation quarterback. Shaughnessy wrote about the 1940 Stanford backfield, including quarterback Frankie Albert, fullback Norm Standlee, right halfback Hugh Gallarneau, and left halfback Pete Kmetovic, the highest in history. Although he thought the Indian backfield was more effective than any other such combination in single-wing, double-wing, short punt, or box arrangements, he added the caveat that this was limited to Stanford players' employment in the T-formation.

Shaughnessy recruited Phil Bengston, a line coach, and Marchmont Schwartz, a backfield coach. Frankie Albert was also hired by former Chicago Bears quarterback Bernie Masterson to coach Frankie Albert. Shaughnessy's T formation emphasized movement and deception, and as a result, it differed from earlier 19th-century models, such as Amos Alonzo Stagg's at the University of Chicago, which stressed control. The latest T did not use massed blocking systems for the ball-carrier in comparison to the single-wing. Rather, it was called "brush blocking," where the linemen would only have to block a defender for one or two seconds. The disadvantage of an undersized line was greatly reduced under this program. The ball was also shielded from the view of defenders in the T formation's immediate snap and position. This enabled for much more deception. According to reports, Shaughnessy got his inspiration for his Panzer tactics used by Wehrmacht general Heinz Guderian.

The majority of sportswriters, who were unfamiliar with the T system, referred to it as the "Shaughness Formation" or "Shaughnessy's latest razzle-dazzle attacks." When he wrote, Bill Leiser of the San Francisco Chronicle referred to it correctly:

During the spring and fall practices before the 1940 season, the squad made strenuous preparations. Al Masters, Stanford's athletic director, yelled that the maintenance team had left on the practice field lights on one occasion, only to be told that the team was still active. The varsity offense only scored a single touchdown against the freshman team, prompting Shaughnessy to illegally draft a single-wing playbook in the event that the T formation's failed.

Stanford University of San Francisco Dons will face the University of San Francisco Dons at Kezar Stadium in the first major college football doubleheader in 1940. It also featured Santa Clara and Utah, but despite its unusual location, the occasion was overshadowed by a closely fought match between California and Michigan in nearby Berkeley, which was much more significant. The Stanford game started at 3:30 p.m. after Santa Clara defeated Utah 34–14. The Indians struggled to advance the ball in their first two possessions, starting sloppily. Albert does not appear in their third series, but for a 17-yard pass, they partnered with an undiscovered receiver, Hugh Gallarneau. Norm Standlee rushed for 20 yards after getting back to the lane. Pete Kmetovic, the game's first touchdown, was unbeaten in the middle. Stanford defeated Stanford 27–0 and outgained San Francisco by a margin of 247 yards to eight. "We were baffled, obviously, by all the running around in the backfield," San Francisco head coach George Malley said after the game. Shaughnessy discarded the single-wing playbook he had drafted after the game, feeling that the T formation was effective.

Stanford defeated Oregon 13-0 in the next week. The Indians then defeated Santa Clara, 7-6, which was the Broncos' first loss of the season. Stanford defeated 19th-ranked Washington State 24-13. The Indians defeated their fifth unbeaten foe, 17th-ranked Southern California, 21–7, just a week later. They continued to beat UCLA, 20–14; 11th-ranked Washington, 20–14; and California, 13–7. Stanford won the Pacific Coast Conference championship and an invitation to the 1941 Rose Bowl, where they defeated seventh-ranked Nebraska in a thrilling 9–0 record. The Indians defeated the Americans 21-13, with Kmetovic's final score coming on a 39-yard punt return.

Shaughnessy lent support from his old buddy George Halas of the Chicago Bears, who in Sid Luckman's Sid Luckman, to find a quarterback well suited to the T formation before the Rose Bowl. Shaughnessy devised a series of counter plays to confuse their opponent, who had a tendency to change linebackers in the direction of the motion man in the course of the NFL Championship Game against the Washington Redskins. Chicago beat Washington, 73–0, due to his preparations.

The Poling System named Stanford as the national champions at the end of the season, and the Billingsley Report and Helms Athletic Foundation followed them retroactively. Shaughnessy was named the Scripps-Howard Coach of the Year by a wide margin, and Albert and Gallarneau were selected to All-America first teams. The 1940 squad was dubbed "Wow Boys," a play on their remarkable accomplishments and the earlier Stanford "Vow Boys" were named for Tiny Thornhill's pledge not to lose to Southern California.

Coaches around the country were moved by Stanford's and the Chicago Bears' unexpected success with the new T formation. Shaughnessy and Halas taught coaching clinics, and Bears quarterback Sid Luckman installed the system at his alma mater, Columbia. Luckman also served on national championship teams at both Army and Notre Dame. The Pittsburgh Steelers were the only NFL team still using the single-wing in 1949. The T design produced a number of derivatives, some of which remain in use today, including the power I, pro set, veer, wishbone, split T, and the West Coast offense.

Shaughnessy's "pessimistic" prediction of at least two deaths for his 1941 squad, which lost Gallarneau and Standlee to graduation. His prediction was accurate, as injuries threwled their toll, and the team lost to Oregon State, Washington State, and California, ending with a 6–3 record. Stanford, Washington, and Oregon State tied for first-place in the Pacific Coast Conference after the Indians lost in their penultimate game. The upset victory over Stanford over the 16–0 victory in the finale guaranteed that Oregon State would qualify for the Rose Bowl.

Shaughnessy moved to Yale University in February 1942, where it was considering three candidates for its open head coaching job. He said he was not interested in Yale but that he might transfer to an unidentified Eastern school with no football history. Shaughnessy resigned in March 1942 to relocate to Maryland. According to a 1977 Sports Illustrated story, he decided to leave after learning Stanford would discontinue its football program during World War II. He expressed regret over leaving but said that the new job would be a challenge. Maryland reportedly offered the same salary as Stanford (€149,261 adjusted for inflation), as well as a faculty position.

Shaughnessy spent time as the head football coach, athletic director, and director of physical education at Maryland under a "lifetime job." The Maryland uniforms were red and white, with the long-standing combination of black and gold being replaced by a red and white color scheme. He installed the T formation and mentored quarterback Tommy Mont, who compared favorably with Frankie Albert. He also praised Terrapins fullback Jack Wright and likened him to Norm Standlee. The Terrapins set a 7-two record under Shaughnessy in 1942, and the Associated Press rated it as a "fair ball club." Mont was one of the top three passers in the country at the end of the season. Shaughnessy left Maryland for Pittsburgh after the season, which he later described as "the hardest thing I ever did."

Shaughnessy fired Pittsburgh head coach Charles W. Bowser, who had applied for a job in the United States Navy in 1943. The University of Pittsburgh had deemphasized football, a move with which Shaughnessy said he was in accordance. He also stated that he would not promise any number of wins as a coach. Shaughnessy was forced to cope with the absence of players to the wartime draft during this period. His teams at Pittsburgh compiled a 10-17 record from 1943 to 1945, without a winning season. The National Safety Council named him with an award in 1943 for "inventing and deploying coaching strategies that provide maximum protection for the players."

George Preston Marshall, the owner of the Washington Redskins, recruited Shaughnessy as an advisor in March 1944, a position he held concurrently with his Pittsburgh duties. In the T formation, where quarterback Sammy Baugh excelled, he mentored young head coach Dudley DeGroot. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, has opposed his association with the corporation.

Shaughnessy accepted an invitation to return to Maryland in February 1946, despite growing resistance at Pittsburgh, which included the threat of dismissal from assistant coaches Charles Hartwig, Bobby Hoel, and Stan Olenn. Shaughnessy was one of the top-three coaches in the country, according to University of Maryland president Dr. H. C. Byrd, who himself was a former football coach. Shaughnessy said he was not given a fair chance to succeed at Pittsburgh, and that the Redskins' controversies was unfounded. If Shaughnessy had resigned from the Redskins, the Pittsburgh athletic board had recommended that he be retained as a coach, but the Redskins refused.

"The funny part of it is that I gave Maryland the worst deal I've ever given anyone in my life," Shaughnessy said, and when Dr. [Byrd] gave me the opportunity to return to visit," I smiled. The Associated Press dubbed Shaugnessy "football's man in motion" due to his regular work shifts. He replaced Bear Bryant, who had left for Kentucky, at Maryland. Shaughnessy reintroduced his classic red and white uniforms, which also included the black and gold scheme but remained the predominant colors until 1987.

His return to Maryland was much less fruitful than his first stint. In 1946, the Terrapins set a new record of 3–6. He said a Washington Post article misquoted him as calling some of his ex-servicemen players "bums." According to the same story, he would be fired at the end of the season. "There are some boys on this team who were suspended by another coach a long time ago for their personal behavior," Shaughnessy's quote was repeated.

Following the season, it was widely believed that the Redskins were keen in promoting him to replace head coach Turk Edwards, but the franchise denied it, and Shaughnessy did not comment on his plans. He resigned as Maryland coach in January 1947, citing that he did not want to be an athletic coach or resign from the Washington Redskins, both of which were desired by the school. Shaughnessy said he'll continue to play full time with the Redskins for the remainder of his deal, and he's likely to return to coach only college football after his time, perhaps with Maryland. Shaughnessy's poor 1946 record was not related to his resignation, according to President Byrd. Jim Tatum, a split T proponent, had him replace him.

Shaughnessy joined the Los Angeles Rams as a "technical advisor" to head coach Bob Snyder in 1948. In the preseason, owner Dan Reeves was so impressed with Shaughnessy that Reeves promoted him to head coach and fired Snyder. Shaughnessy invented the pro set that used a three-wide receiver setup at Los Angeles. He made this change in order to capitalize on running back Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch, who he felt would make a good flanker. In 1949, Los Angeles captured the Western Conference Championship.

Shaughnessy was fired after two seasons because he had caused "internal strife." According to one source, Shaughnessy's eccentricities and constantly expanding playbook had taken their toll on the players. Assistant coach Joe Stydahar was brought on to replace him. "Stydahar coach the Rams," Shaughnessy said. I could beat him with a high school team." The Rams made the National Conference Championship last season, however, and the team set numerous NFL passing and scoring records.

Shaughnessy had been rumored as a candidate for the vacant Washington Redskins head coaching position in 1951, but nothing came of it. Shaughnessy served as a technical advisor, vice president, and defensive specialist from 1951 to 1962. Halas assumed responsibility for the defense, including the Bears' T formation. Shaughnessy, ironically, was charged with devising a defense to combat the T formation. Outside linebackers were left unarmed and safe against end runs and passes in the house, one of his defenses was the 5–3–3 defense.

Shaughnessy appeared at the Blue-Gray Game in Montgomery, Alabama, specifically for flankers. Harlon Hill of Florence State Teachers' College told Jacksonville State assistant Ray Wedgeworth that the best receiver in the state was not playing in the game: Harlon Hill. Shaughnessy ordered a game film from Hill's coach, and the Bears selected him with their 15th pick in the 1954 NFL Draft. He was named the NEA NFL MVP of the 2013 season.

The Bears, who were using Shaughnessy's intricate, shifting defensive links, stifled San Francisco 49ers coach Red Hickey's new shotgun setup, 31–0, in October 1961. Chicago had learned lessons against the Baltimore Colts after they had attempted to use the shotgun for the first time this week. In November 1961, Shaughnessy outlined his Chicago defense plan:

Bill George, the middle linebacker for Shaughnessy, was mentored by the Shaughnessy as the defensive play-caller. George was encouraged by Bears coach Abe Gibron to have Shaughnessy himself on the field. Shaughnessy battled the increasing use of the forward pass. He stressed man-to-man coverage, pushed linebackers or defensive ends into pass coverage, and plowed blitzes from several directions, initially consisting mostly of a middle linebacker.

Hunk Anderson, the former Chicago Bears head coach, gave a scathing account of his friendship with Shaughnessy, including Havoc on Notre Dame, Chicago Bears, and Hunk Anderson. He recalled one incident during a game against the Cleveland Browns, in which Shaughnessy ordered Anderson to call a "end run." Anderson, who suspected a loop to exploit, demanded which end run and which blocking assignments to use. Any end run would do, Shaughnessy said. Anderson begged Shaughnessy to sit down and watch the remainder of the game. He said that the Bears had 28 different end runs to each of the four backs for each of the four backs, each of which had multiple blocking schemes. "You just can't say 'any end run'" he said, "You can't say "any end run." Anderson also said that Shaughnessy plagiarized plays from other coaches and renamed them as his own.

Shaughnessy resigned with a year on his deal at the end of the 1962 season. He expressed regret in his resignation and admiration for Halas, but said that a change was in order.

When Shaughnessy took over in Hawaii, the football program was "in a poor state" and "close to extinction." During Shaughnessy's first season, Hawaii raked out a 1–8–1 record, but the Associated Press credited him with reviving the program. Phil Sarboe, the school's first full-time coach, had him drafted.

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