Appalachian State Fires Head Coach Shawn Clark After Six Years
When there are big expectations, there has to be success. App State has a high level to maintain and the football program felt that their coach wasn’t living up to the standard. On Monday morning it was announced that Appalachian State had fired head coach Shawn Clark after six years.
This was no doubt a tough decision. This is one of those moves that most involved with the Mountaineers really wanted to work out. Despite what occurred on the field, Clark is a great guy who many have spoken of glowingly.
Nonetheless, this dismissal news comes down the coaching carousel pipeline just days after a loss to Georgia Southern knocked App State out of Bowl Contention. A blow that many felt would certainly be the final straw before a change at HC. App State lost 29-20 to Georgia Southern last weekend and is not bowl eligible.
Mark Zenitz of CBS Sports discussed the firing along with a big reason as to why it occurred. Zenitz mentions,
“Appalachian State is set to fire head coach Shawn Clark, sources tell CBS Sports.
[Clark] was App State’s head coach the last five seasons. Was 19-7 his first two years as head coach but just 20-17 the last three years, including 5-6 this season.”
This is the first losing season in over a decade for App State. It’s been 11 years. Since 2013.
Appalachian State Fires Head Coach Shawn Clark After Six Years
App State Football is not just about an overall winning record during a coach’s tenure, it’s about being in contention to compete every season. Speaking of this mindset, App State Athletic Director Doug Gillin also released a statement in regards to Shawn Clark. Gillin says,
“Today we have released Shawn Clark from his contract as App State’s head football coach.
I want to thank Shawn for all he has done for the App State football program. Shawn is a true Mountaineer. He has given his heart and soul to his alma mater.
He has navigated numerous challenges in his tenure and done so with class and integrity. This was a difficult decision, but after an evaluation of the program, we decided to make the change now.
The expectation for App State Football is to annually compete for a conference championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff. We have commenced a national search to quickly find the next leader for App State Football. Mountaineer fans are among the most passionate in the country, and we are committed to providing a football program that builds upon the decades of previous championship tradition.”
You have to hand it to a football program that wants to maintain a high standard of excellence. App State has worked hard to get to such a constant; that they do not wish to slide back now. So it will be interesting to see who they hire next.
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