Casey Shine named head football coach

Photograph by Larry Newman

What started as a temporary role for Casey Shine has now become official. 

Following an incredibly successful season as the interim head coach, going 8-0 in SCIAC play and making a national playoff appearance, Shine has been named the head coach of Chapman football heading into this season.

While the promotion was well deserved, it doesn’t mean it has come without its challenges for Shine.

“I love coaching. I love being on the field and the process, the weight room, the training, the film work, all that type of stuff,” Shine said. “I think [being the head coach] definitely puts extra stress on the job. Sometimes good stress, sometimes bad stress, but just extra for being the head coach.”

Despite the kinks at the start, it’s clear that Shine has won over the support and trust of the team.

That trust will prove useful amid the added pressure of the team being ranked #1 in the pre-season SCIAC poll.

“Pressure is a privilege. It's earned,” Shine said, “We talk about it, we meet it head on. Last year was last year. And we talk about, as a team, the ability to handle failures but also handle success. And so we can't let last year's success go to our heads. Every day is a new day and so we've got to put in the work.”

This mentality comes from not only their trust in each other, but also what the team calls “the process.” This “process” has bred success throughout the team. It creates an ongoing cycle of improvement.

“We talk about ‘the process’ a lot, controlling the controllables, and so if we're able to do that and also produce success on and off the field, I think that helps breed trust,” Shine said.

Despite the on-field success and the hard work that goes into that, Shine is quick to mention the off-field aspects. Chapman’s support around him makes the position mean more than just football.

“[Chapman] meant something to me before I got hired 15 years ago. You could tell the kids here are different. The administration from the top down, the support is there for the kids academically and athletically. That's the fun part of Chapman. You've got a lot of great kids, athletes and non-athletes, that are here at the university making a positive experience. I think we've got a heck of a coaching staff,” Shine said. “ It's not perfect all the time. Kids are still young and make mistakes, but they try. The effort is there. The buy-in is there. You just get that every day. It helps motivate you as a coach.”

With this fall’s football season already underway, Shine has become fully immersed in the position and is ready to lead the team to another great season.