Shawn Watson

College coach infobox
Name = Shawn Watson


Caption =
Title = Offensive Coordinator Quarterbacks Coach
College = Nebraska
Sport = College football
Conference = Big 12
CurrentRecord =
DateOfBirth = birth date and age|1959|09|21
Birthplace = Carbondale, Illinois
DateOfDeath =
Deathplace =
OverallRecord = 11-22-0
Contract = $225,000 [ [http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1200&u_sid=10214412 Husker assistants' salaries set] ]
BowlRecord =
TournamentRecord =
CFbDWID = 2792
Championships =
Awards =
CoachingRecords =
Player = Y
Years = 1978
1979-1980
Team = Illinois
Southern Illinois
Position = Free safety
Coach = Y
CoachYears = 1982 1983-1984 1985 1986 1987-1989 1990-1991 1992-1993 1994-1996 1997-1998 1999 2000-2005 2006 2007-"present"
CoachTeams = Southern Illinois (GA) Illinois (GA) Illinois (TE/OT) Illinois (WR) Miami OH (TE) Miami OH (WR) Miami OH (QB/RC) Southern Illinois Northwestern (QB) Colorado (QB) Colorado (OC/QB) Nebraska (TE/RC) Nebraska (OC/QB)
FootballHOF =
CollegeHOFID =
BBallHOF =

Shawn Watson is the Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach for the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers football team.

Biography

Early life

Shawn Watson was born in Carbondale, IL on September 21, 1959, and graduated from Carterville High School in Carterville, Illinois.

Playing career

Watson's playing career began at the University of Illinois in 1978, where he played Free Safety. He then transferred and played the next two seasons for Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 1979 and 1980. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Health Education from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 1982, the same year he started his coaching career [ [http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=2&SPID=22&DB_OEM_ID=100&ATCLID=224510&Q_SEASON=2008 University of Nebraska Coach Profile: Shawn Watson] ] .

Coaching career

Watson began his football coaching career as a graduate assistant in 1982 at Southern Illinois; the same school where he had completed his playing career.

His first full time position was at Illinois, where he started as a graduate assistant for two years beginning in 1983 before promotions to Offensive Tackles Coach, Tight Ends Coach and Wide Receivers Coach by 1986. Illinois participated in two bowl games during Watson's time there, including the Rose Bowl following the 1983 season.

Beginning in 1987, Watson coached in various positions at Miami (OH) University across seven years, starting as Wide Receivers Coach, and moving through positions as Tight Ends Coach, Wide Receivers Coach and completing his career at Miami in 1993 as Quarterbacks Coach and Recruiting Coordinator.

In 1994, Watson obtained his first appointment as Head Coach when he was hired to take control of the program where he started his playing and coaching careers; Southern Illinois. SIU had gone 15-29 in the four years prior to Watson's arrival, and his first year was a rough start to his head coaching career as SIU finished 1-10. SIU finished the next two seasons with repeat 5-6 records before Watson moved on, finishing with an overall head coaching record to date of 11-22. During Watson's three year tenure at SIU he produced 20 all-conference players and an NFL-drafted Tight End in Damon Jones.

In 1997, Watson was hired by Head Coach Gary Barnett at Northwestern University as Quarterbacks Coach. When Barnett was later hired as Head Coach by the University of Colorado in 1999, Watson also followed and continued for a year as Quarterbacks Coach. In 2000, Watson was promoted to Offensive Coordinator at Colorado while maintaining his role with the quarterbacks, and remained in that role until Barnett's firing at the conclusion of the 2005 season.

In 2006, Head Coach Bill Callahan hired Watson to the position of Tight Ends Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at the University of Nebraska, and he was subsequently promoted the following year to the same position he had held at Colorado; Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach. When Callahan was fired at the conclusion of the 2007 season, Watson was one of two members of Callahan's staff that were retained under new Nebraska Head Coach Bo Pelini.

Head coaching record

CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name = Southern Illinois Salukis
startyear = 1994
conf = Gateway Football Conference
endyear = 1996CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1994
name = Southern Illinois
overall = 1-10
conference = 1-10
confstanding = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1995
name = Southern Illinois
overall = 5-6
conference = 5-6
confstanding = CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 1996
name = Southern Illinois
overall = 5-6
conference = 5-6
confstanding = CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Southern Illinois
overall = 11-22CFB Yearly Record End
overall = 11-22
bcs = no

References