Feature articles on new OL coach Gordy Shaw

About how his daughter Aubrey, currently a high school senior in Minnesota, has decided to enroll at UH, Gordon "Gordy" Shaw said:
"She's got it figured out." (HA)

About how Shaw will be in charge of the OL, with Brian Smith reassigned on the offensive side of the ball, Mac said:
"Gordy is going to be our offensive line coach. There will only be one voice in the offensive line room. I brought him in to coach the offensive line. ... Brian still has a place on the offensive staff." (HA)

Mac said that the change in OL coaches is:
"not a knock on (Smith). Brian is a good, young coach. He's going to be in our offensive plans. He's going to become a better coach working with a veteran coach like Gordy." (HA)

HA Note: "UH received more than 300 applicants. The field was narrowed to five, and then to three finalists. Last week, Shaw was invited to interview in Hawai'i."

About how his family wanted him to apply for the UH job, Shaw said:
"It was a no-brainer for my family. They obviously wanted me to take a look at that job. The thing that really said, 'Yes, I want to really look into it,' was coach McMackin. I really didn't know him. But I know a lot of people who know him. I found he's a great person to work for. He's really big on family." (HA)

About how he met with the OL and watched weight-training sessions during his visit to Hawaii, Shaw said:
"I saw how hard they worked. They're very motivated." (HA)

About how UH's OL need to work on their pass blocking fundamentals, Shaw said:
"The biggest thing, for me, is to clean up the fundamentals of their pass protection. The players, shoot, they're ready to go. They're good players." (HA)

"In any system you have to have good fundamentals." (HSB)

HA Note: "Shaw, who also has coached the defensive line, has experience in a variety of offenses, including four-wide schemes and empty sets."

About how he was impressed with Shaw, Mac said:
"He's got some things that he's done at other places that will strengthen our pass protection. I was impressed with his interview. He sees things on video that the normal person doesn't see. He has a lot of great experience. I really believe he'll fit in with our coaches and players." (HA)

HA Note: "Shaw will participate in spring training. His wife, Debra, will remain in Minnesota until Audrey graduates in June. The couple's eldest daughter, Whitney, is a chemical engineer. Another daughter, Jenna, is a biomedical engineer. The Shaws also own a time-share on Kaua'i."

Happy that he was able to hire Shaw, Mac said:
"I'm really excited about him. I've got a lot of friends in the business who think he's one of the top line coaches in the country. They have a lot of respect for him." (HA)

"He's been recommended to me by a lot of the top-name coaches in the business. ... He's got a very good name in the offensive-line world. We researched the country and I wanted to make sure we got a good one. He'll fit in with our staff." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Shaw returns to the Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I-A) level after one season as offensive coordinator at South Dakota. He spent the previous 14 years at Minnesota, where he coached on both sides of the ball but devoted most of his time coaching the Golden Gophers' offensive line."

When considering the UH job, Shaw said that he called some of his:
"friends I have in the profession and they were telling me how good a coach and person (McMackin) is." (HSB)

About his impression of UH players when he coached against them 3 times when he was with Wyoming and once with Minnesota, Shaw said:
"I really thought their players played really hard, and that's what I want to do, coach guys that are highly motivated." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Shaw said he's a stickler for fundamentals and will take a back-to-basics approach to blocking when he begins working with the Warriors."