Frank Shaughnessy
Encyclopedia
Francis Joseph "Shag" Shaughnessy (April 8, 1884, Amboy, Illinois
– May 15, 1969, Montreal
) was an American
athlete and sports executive. Shaughnessy played both baseball
and football
and was an executive in baseball, football and ice hockey
. He was born in the United States and moved to Canada in the 1910s, where he was involved with football and ice hockey teams in Montreal
and Ottawa
. He was later president of the International League of baseball. His son Frank Shaughnessy, Jr. also played football and ice hockey, and played ice hockey for the United States in the 1936 Winter Olympics
.
from 1901 to 1904, serving as football captain his senior year.
in 1905 and the Philadelphia Athletics in 1908.
Shaughnessy was a minor league manager for 19 years between 1909–1936, compiling a 1148-1012 record. He was General Manager of the Montreal Royals
from 1932–1934, and a coach for the Detroit Tigers
in 1928. He served as President of the International League
from 1936–1960, and invented a playoff system known as the Shaughnessy playoffs. In 1953 he was presented with the King of Baseball
award given by Minor League Baseball.
and Cornell University
. He also was football and baseball coach at Clemson University
, and football coach at Washington and Lee University
.
Shaughnessy was the first professional coach hired in Canadian university football and his full-time appointment at Montreal's McGill University
in 1912 was not well received by the other teams in the league.
In each of his first two years, McGill won the Yates Cup football championship. He coached McGill to a 34-34-2 regular season record in 17 seasons. The 34 victories stood until 1979 as the most by a McGill football coach.
Shaughnessy played baseball during the summer in Ottawa
, where he met his wife. He became involved in Ottawa sports, and was coach of the Ottawa Rough Riders
for the 1915 season.
A football innovator, Shaughnessy introduced the forward pass to Canadian university football when McGill played Syracuse University
in 1921 and lobbied for 10 years before the Canadian Rugby Football Union revised the rules and adopted the forward pass in 1931. He was the first football coach in Canada to introduce "X" and "Y" strategic formations and "secondary defence".
In 1969, the Shaughnessy Cup was first presented for local football supremacy between McGill and Loyola College. Since 1975, the Cup has been fought for in an annual challenge match between McGill and Concordia University.
Shaughnessy was inducted as a builder into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
in 1963, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
in 1983 and the McGill University Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.
.
Shaughnessy coached the McGill women’s hockey team and was appointed men’s hockey coach in 1919, guiding the Redmen to a 61-56-2 record until stepping down in 1927. The 61 victories established a McGill record and since then, has only been surpassed by four other McGill hockey coaches.
Amboy, Illinois
Amboy is a city in Lee County, Illinois, along the Green River. The population was 2,561 at the 2000 census. The chain of Carson Pirie Scott & Co. began in Amboy when Samuel Carson opened his first dry goods store there in 1854...
– May 15, 1969, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
athlete and sports executive. Shaughnessy played both baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and was an executive in baseball, football and ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
. He was born in the United States and moved to Canada in the 1910s, where he was involved with football and ice hockey teams in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
. He was later president of the International League of baseball. His son Frank Shaughnessy, Jr. also played football and ice hockey, and played ice hockey for the United States in the 1936 Winter Olympics
1936 Winter Olympics
The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. Germany also hosted the Summer Olympics the same year in Berlin...
.
College
Shaughnessy played football and baseball at the University of Notre DameUniversity of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
from 1901 to 1904, serving as football captain his senior year.
Baseball
Shaughnessy had brief Major League baseball appearances with the Washington SenatorsMinnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
in 1905 and the Philadelphia Athletics in 1908.
Shaughnessy was a minor league manager for 19 years between 1909–1936, compiling a 1148-1012 record. He was General Manager of the Montreal Royals
Montreal Royals
The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec, that existed from 1897–1917 and from 1928–60 as a member of the International League and its progenitor, the original Eastern League...
from 1932–1934, and a coach for the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
in 1928. He served as President of the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
from 1936–1960, and invented a playoff system known as the Shaughnessy playoffs. In 1953 he was presented with the King of Baseball
King of Baseball
King of Baseball is a ceremonial title awarded by Minor League Baseball to one person each year in recognition of longtime dedication and service to professional baseball.- Background :The title was first awarded in 1951...
award given by Minor League Baseball.
Football
He introduced the option play to American football while coaching at Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. He also was football and baseball coach at Clemson University
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
, and football coach at Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of...
.
Shaughnessy was the first professional coach hired in Canadian university football and his full-time appointment at Montreal's McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in 1912 was not well received by the other teams in the league.
In each of his first two years, McGill won the Yates Cup football championship. He coached McGill to a 34-34-2 regular season record in 17 seasons. The 34 victories stood until 1979 as the most by a McGill football coach.
Shaughnessy played baseball during the summer in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, where he met his wife. He became involved in Ottawa sports, and was coach of the Ottawa Rough Riders
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
for the 1915 season.
A football innovator, Shaughnessy introduced the forward pass to Canadian university football when McGill played Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
in 1921 and lobbied for 10 years before the Canadian Rugby Football Union revised the rules and adopted the forward pass in 1931. He was the first football coach in Canada to introduce "X" and "Y" strategic formations and "secondary defence".
In 1969, the Shaughnessy Cup was first presented for local football supremacy between McGill and Loyola College. Since 1975, the Cup has been fought for in an annual challenge match between McGill and Concordia University.
Shaughnessy was inducted as a builder into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame
Canadian Football Hall of Fame
The Canadian Football Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is an open to the public institution. It includes displays about the Canadian Football League, Canadian university football and Canadian...
in 1963, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum is a museum located in St. Marys, Ontario, Canada. The museums commemorates great players, teams, and accomplishments of baseball in Canada.-History:...
in 1983 and the McGill University Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.
Ice hockey
While living in Ottawa, Shaughnessy served from 1914 until 1916 as the manager of the Ottawa SenatorsOttawa Senators (original)
The Ottawa Senators were an amateur, and later, professional, ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Canada which existed from 1883 to 1954. The club was the first hockey club in Ontario, a founding member of the National Hockey League and played in the NHL from 1917 until 1934...
.
Shaughnessy coached the McGill women’s hockey team and was appointed men’s hockey coach in 1919, guiding the Redmen to a 61-56-2 record until stepping down in 1927. The 61 victories established a McGill record and since then, has only been surpassed by four other McGill hockey coaches.