A two-time All-American performer at Appalachian State, Shawn Clark is in his sixth season on the Eastern Kentucky staff as the offensive line coach.
“Coach Clark is a really good young offensive line coach,” head coach Dean Hood said. “A big part of Shawn’s interview was watching all of the game tape from last year and [offensive coordinator] Mike Springston was impressed with what he saw out of the players.”
In Clark’s tenure at EKU, eight offensive linemen have earned all-conference accolades including three players in 2007 – Shawn Dedden, Sean Dumford and Bakahri Thornton. All three of those players graduated last year, but two talented starters return to anchor the offensive line in 2008 – juniors Derek Hardman and Michael Howard. Hardman was named to the 2006 All-OVC newcomer team and Howard’s versatility allows him to play guard and center.
Clark came to Eastern from Louisville, where he spent two seasons as a graduate assistant with the offensive unit. Louisville made two bowl appearances while Clark was on staff, defeating BYU in the 2001 Liberty Bowl while falling to Marshall in the 2002 GMAC Bowl.
The native of Charleston, W.Va., has first-hand knowledge of what it takes to win at the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision level. He played four seasons at Appalachian State under head coach Jerry Moore. The four-year starter earned All-Southern Conference accolades three times and All-American honors during the 1996 and 1998 campaigns. His All-American awards look even more impressive when considering that a back injury held Clark out of the entire 1997 season.
While with the Mountaineers, Clark helped lead the team to three NCAA Division I-AA playoff appearances including a trip to the second round in 1994.
Clark was an all-state player at both offensive line and linebacker for George Washington (W.Va.) High School. After high school, Clark spent a year at Fork Union Military Academy before heading to Appalachian State.
Clark graduated from Appalachian State with a degree in criminal justice in 1998 before earning his master’s degree from Louisville in 2003. He was recently married to Jonelle Csora, a former three-time All-OVC softball player at EKU.
