Shawn Wilson has gotten his fill on the sidelines.
This week, Wilson decided it was time to announce he's done coaching, something that has occupied more than half his life. Wilson went 40-14 in five seasons at the helm of Salem High in Virginia Beach. In total, he spent 26 years on the sidelines, most all of which took place in the Beach District.
"It's a retirement. It was an easy decision for me and something I had been wanting to do for a while. You feel like you're obligated to these kids to stay. But at the same time, you also have an obligation to yourself, to have some 'me' time and make sure that you're happy," Wilson told VirginiaPreps.com.
"Some of the other coaches and me had contemplated it for some time, and we decided that we'd all just do it together. It's time for the younger guys in the profession to make their way."
The announcement came just days following his team's 20-7 loss to Maury in the Region 5A semifinals, concluding a 3-1 campaign in an abbreviated season for the Sun Devils. It marked the third straight time that Maury knocked Salem out of the playoffs, including a 31-28 defeat in the 2018 regional semifinals on a field goal in the game's closing seconds.
Admittedly, there was some apprehension about even playing this season with all the protocols and guidelines in place because of the coronavirus pandemic as the VHSL decided to push Fall Sports - including football - from its usual start time of late August to the final week of February.
"I still would've aired on the side of caution and chosen not to play if I had to make the decision," Wilson candidly commented. "I say that just because of the safety for the kids and the coaches. Every week, we had a scare. Somebody couldn't play or somebody had to sit because of their parent or someone having COVID. We hadn't played in a year, some kids were unable to lift weights and we had a lot of injuries.
"That said, I'm glad we were able to get the season in and get through it, but there were some scary times for sure."
Wilson, who turns 47 in May, was elevated from assistant to Head Coach at Salem right before the 2016 season when Robert Jackson departed to become Athletic Director at his alma mater, I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth. The Sun Devils went 8-4 that year, followed by records of 8-5 and 9-3 overall before running through the Beach District unscathed in 2019.
The 2019 Salem defense was historically one of the best Hampton Roads has ever seen, pitching shutouts in eight of their first 11 games and allowing just 22 total points during that span. They finished 12-1 overall, falling to eventual State Champ Maury by a count of 35-14 in the Region 5A Championship.
As a player, Wilson was quite a talent at Bayside High in Virginia Beach, where he earned All-Tidewater accolades at defensive back and went on to play two years at the University of Florida in the SEC. A knee injury cut his time in Gainesville short, but he returned to the '757' area code and played a year at Norfolk State University, earning his bachelor's degree.
"The game has changed so much from my playing days and all the technological advances," Wilson noted. "Technique and training have evolved so much, and the same goes with the medicine and surgery. Guys are much more aware of what's going on and with their bodies, which is a great thing."
Before his first crack as a Head Coach, Wilson had plenty of stints as an assistant at Bayside, Cox, Kempsville, Princess Anne and Woodrow Wilson. Green Run hired him as its Head Coach in 2007 and he'd produce a 37-28 mark over six seasons, including back-to-back 10-2 records at a program that had fallen on rough times. In fact, Green Run had suffered through five straight winless seasons from 2000-04 and dropped 58 of 60 games prior to his arrival.
There are no second thoughts about stepping out of the coaching box in what some would consider the prime of the career.
"When you look at the amount of time that you're spending and the money that you're making, plus the stress level that it has on you and all the obligations that comes with it in regards to dealing with teachers, parents, recruiting, film breakdown, fundraising... that all becomes a lot. It takes a toll on you after a while," Wilson pointed out.
"You miss a lot of time with family, vacations, anniversaries, birthday parties and just a lot of stuff. If you're a good football team, you're often playing deep into November and sometimes December. There's very little down time and you're definitely not coaching for the pay."
In reflecting back, Wilson sees some missed opportunities, not so much in the wins and losses of games, but rather things he could've done with his time. He's hoping to fill that void in the coming months and years, adamant that the whistle is put up so he can follow the journey of some the standouts he's helped groom for the next level.
"I'm not going to get the itch back. I might volunteer my time, but I'm not dedicating my life to it anymore. I love my free time and my freedom. My itch is going to be watching the guys like Kaelon Black at JMU, Amorie Morrison at ODU, Anwar Sparrow at Syracuse, Isaiah Henderson at Air Force, Zemarion Harrell at Coastal Carolina," Wilson declared.
"Some of those past players like a Mark Hall, David Dean, Terrell Whitehead, David Johnson and others, I missed so many of their games and their college experience. Rather than breaking down film, I'm really going to enjoy getting to travel, tailgate, visit different cities and watch these guys. I also have some nephews coming up, so I'm looking forward to spending some time with them, watch their games, critique them and be a fan up in the stands."
