After being head coach for six years, Shawn “Coach Mac” McIntyre resigned to pursue a professional career in athletics manufacturing.
McIntyre announced his resignation for the 2011 season on Jan. 19. He just finished his sixth season coaching the Cadets after they finished the year with eight wins and three loses.
Gigi Jean-Gilles, 21, a senior physical education major from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said, “The good thing about Coach Mac was that he was so young, so he knew where the players were coming from.”
According to multiple players on the team, Coach Mac made a major impact on their lives.
“Coach Mac influences me in a lot of many ways but most importantly influenced me how to mature and become a man, not just in the football aspect but in life,” said Jean-Gilles. “But also Coach Mac was a great coach because he knew how to adjust very well with his players and understanding where they’re coming from.”
Coach Mac encouraged togetherness, loyalty and cohesiveness, which helped build strong bonds among his athletes.
Jason Hill, 20, a junior business major from Canajoharie, N.Y., said, “Coach Mac was always there for
me, he helped me make all the right choices and also helped me become the man who I am today.”
Hill added, “Mac was an awesome coach, he took us from 2-8 to a conference championship the next year. I will definitely keep in contact with him down the road knowing how great of a person and coach he was.”
Mac’s style of coaching ranged from strict moments to the comical and encouraging ones. “People knew when to play around with Coach Mac, but they knew when they had to take him serious and do work,” said Hill. “He had everyone’s respect and a lot of people loved him. I mean he was a goofball at times but people knew when it was time to straighten up and respect him.”
Don Hanni, 22, a senior criminal justice major from Youngstown, Ohio, who was also a captain for the Cadets, said, “If it wasn’t for him I’ll still be back in Youngstown doing nothing. He took a chance on me, and now I’m going to graduate.”
Coach Mac also helped students in the classroom. He wanted them to succeed academically in order to become successful members of society.Football team players had to maintain a 2.0 grade point average.
“When talking about a football coach there are two things you can look at in my opinion, the win-loss call, and the graduation rate,” said Hanni. “One thing Coach Mac did better than any coach I have ever had or seen or known was he really took a vested interest in his players and he was really there for you and he molded you from a punk kid into a young man.”
“I got to know a different side of Coach Mac. He met with the captains almost every day just about everything to see how the team was going. I really got to know a different side of him. I got to see his funny side, he really was a funny guy, and no one really ever knew that. I feel I was someone who really got to see that.”
“Furthermore on that side of Coach Mac he really exemplified what it was to be a Norwich student. He had stories about his days here at Norwich that would rival most of mine and I thought that was really cool,” said Hanni.