Scott Shafer’s doggone head coaching dreams are still coming true, the fiery Syracuse head coach said at a press conference in Houston on Friday morning.

Shafer, whose Orange will take on Minnesota in the Texas Bowl on Dec. 27, spoke of his longtime coaching aspirations at the podium. Since he was 7 or 8, the 46-year-old Shafer said he’s wanted to be a head coach.

Now, after a 6-6 season in his first year at the helm in Syracuse, Shafer said he couldn’t be happier.

“It’s been everything I expected and everything I signed up for, and I love the job,” Shafer said. “I really do. I can’t believe I have had the opportunity to coach at Syracuse. Such a great institution in a great part of the country.”

For Shafer, the journey to Houston was a long one. He’s traversed eight schools in six different states since starting as a graduate assistant at Indiana in 1991. While his hairline has faded gradually since then, his fire has not.

The same Ohio kid who grew up admiring the likes of Buckeyes coach Woody Hayes is out running up and down the Orange sidelines every Saturday – complete with his signature visor, and visor tosses.

“It’s a heck of a challenge every single day,” Shafer said.” Every day I wake up, and I love it. I love the challenge.”

Shafer was handed a team without a starting quarterback when Doug Marrone accepted the Buffalo Bills head coaching job on Jan. 6. Still, despite an 0-2 start, Shafer led the Orange to its third bowl game in four years with Atlantic Coast Conference wins against North Carolina State, Wake Forest, Maryland and Boston College.

“I was hoping that Dr. Gross and the folks that have input there, would maybe give us a shot to stay and keep the Shafer family close to home,” Shafer said, “ … They gave me a shot, and we’re trying to get it better every single day.”

Shafer, who served as the Orange’s defensive coordinator from 2009-12, said working with the offense and communication with alumni were the two biggest adjustments as head coach. And from a managerial standpoint, he doesn’t micromanage. Shafer said he views himself as the backbone of the team – stabilizing more than controlling.

While .500 is far from a storybook first season for Shafer, it’s a successful start. When he and the Orange jog into Reliant Stadium in two weeks, Shafer will be checking off one more first on his list of head coaching accomplishments.

Said Shafer: “It’s always been my dream to be a head football coach. I didn’t know if it was going to be high school or college or where; didn’t really care. I just wanted to run a program someday, try to build it, and establish a situation where people know our program for a long time, and take great pride in putting true student athletes out here.

“I want people one day to say Syracuse has really done a great job establishing themselves in the ACC conference as one of the top tier teams.”

Published on December 13, 2013 at 5:36 pm

Contact Stephen: sebail01@syr.edu | @Stephen_Bailey1