Lew Shaver

Lew Shaver was an American football coach in the United States. Shaver is also the head Wheelchair Basketball coach at Southwest Minnesota State University

Coaching career

Coach Lew Shaver was the head college football coach for the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs located in Marshall, Minnesota. He held that position for the 1977 and 1978 seasons. His coaching record at Southwest Minnesota State was 3 wins and 16 losses. As of the conclusion of the 2010 season, this ranks him #9 at Southwest Minnesota State in total wins and #9 at the school in winning percentage (.158).^[1]

Shaver was the first coach at SMSU from 1969 to 1978 before assuming the coaching position at Illinois for the 1978-79 season before returning to SMSU in 1979 and coaching until 1995. He retired from SMSU in 1996. Shaver began teaching and coaching at SMSU in 1969 and spent 26 seasons as the head coach of the wheelchair basketball team compiling a record of 339-241 from 1969-95. During his tenure, the team won three national championships in 1981, 1983 and 1986. The team also finished as national runners-up six times and won or shared the Central Intercollegiate Conference title from 1978 through 1986. Recognized nationally as a wheelchair basketball expert, Shaver has written or co-authored three books on the sport. He was also the assistant coach on three international championship wheelchair basketball teams. In addition to his wheelchair basketball duties, he coached baseball and was the head football coach at SMSU in 1977 and 1978. He was also a professor in the Department of Health and Physical Education (now Wellness and Human Performance). Shaver has served on numerous national and international coaching positions within the National Wheelchair Basketball Association and the United States Paralympic efforts.

The National Wheelchair Basketball Association recently announced that Southwest Minnesota State University head wheelchair basketball coach Lew Shaver has been named the head coach for the United States Men’s Under-23 team that will compete in Turkey in 2013. Shaver will be working with the High Performance Committee in the selection of his coaching staff as well as the selection of the players who will make up the U23 team at the tryout camp later this month in Colorado Springs. “Obviously it is a privilege and an honor to represent the USA as a head coach in an international competition,” Shaver said. “I am also proud to represent SMSU with our rich wheelchair basketball history.”

References

2. http://smsumustangs.com/coaches.aspx?rc=386&path=wheelbball

3. http://smsumustangs.com/news/2012/10/11/WCBB_1011122547.aspx?path=wheelbball