Days ago, the semifinalists for the 2023 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame were announced.
The nominees include coaches Mike Holmgren and Don Coryell, running back Roger Craig, and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
Another nominee announced was Mike Shanahan, a longtime coach whose career spanned five different decades in the college and pro ranks.
Lester Hayes, Roger Craig, Mike Shanahan and Amy Trask make semi finalist list for Hall of Fame #49ers #Raiders https://t.co/qqe7NJqPwM
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) July 7, 2022
With all the success he has had through the years, one has to wonder why he hasn’t been inducted into Canton yet.
When one takes a close look at Shanahan’s resume, it is borderline criminal that he hasn’t gotten such a nod yet.
Shanahan’s Early Days
After a brief tenure as the starting quarterback at Eastern Illinois University, Shanahan started his coaching career as an assistant at Northern Arizona University, the University of Oklahoma, and Eastern Illinois.
He got his first taste of success when Oklahoma won the NCAA national championship in 1975 and Eastern Illinois took the Division II national title a few years later.
In 1984, Dan Reeves, the then-head coach of the Denver Broncos, brought Shanahan into the NFL, and while Shanahan started out as a receivers coach, it only took him one year to ascent to the position of offensive coordinator, a post he held for three seasons.
The Broncos had a young gunslinging QB named John Elway, and under Shanahan’s tutelage, Elway led them to the Super Bowl in 1986 and 1987.
After a short, ill-fated stint as the head coach of the Los Angeles Raiders, Shanahan returned to the Broncos in 1989, and although they made it to the big game again, they lost yet again, this time to the mighty San Francisco 49ers.
Becoming A Legend
The Niners just happened to be his next team, starting in 1992, and he would serve as their offensive coordinator.
With Steve Young supplanting the aging and hobbled Joe Montana, San Francisco won the world championship in 1994, as it ranked first in points, passing touchdowns, and first downs under Shanahan.
He then started his third tenure with Denver the next season, this time as head coach, reuniting him with Elway.
It was during this third tenure that Shanahan utilized a variation of the 49ers’ West Coast offense that included a zone-blocking scheme, giving his running backs the space to run free and dominate.
In this scheme, Terrell Davis emerged as a superstar who rushed for over 2,000 yards in 1998, the year the Broncos won their second-straight Super Bowl.
Afterward, five other unheralded running backs had 1,000-yard seasons playing for Shanahan.
He coached the Broncos until 2008, and he spent a few more years at the helm of the Washington Redskins.
Today, he has left a legacy, as his son Kyle Shanahan has made the 49ers into a contender once again.
Mike Shanahan should be in the Hall of Fame. His back to back Super Bowl wins and coaching tree speak for itself. His offense is still used effectively today by Super Bowl winning teams. He’s a top 10-15 coach of all time.
— Patrick (@PJ_406) July 7, 2022
One would think that a coach that won back-to-back world championships, including a third as an offensive coordinator, would be in the Hall already, especially when he has a lifetime winning percentage of 55.2 percent in the regular season and 57.1 percent in the playoffs.
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