Jan. 6, 2004

Columbia, S.C. – Steve Shankweiler, who has 21 years of collegiate coaching experience, has been named an assistant football coach at the University of South Carolina and will coach the offensive line.

Shankweiler, who coached the offensive line at the University of Cincinnati this past year, spent a total of 10 seasons as offensive line coach at East Carolina University, working with that program on two different occasions (1987-91 & 1998-2002), and three years as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Georgia Tech (1992-94). During his second stint at East Carolina, the Pirates appeared in three consecutive postseason bowl games and ECU was the only school in Conference USA to place an offensive lineman on the all-league first team for five straight seasons (1998-2002).

“We feel fortunate to bring in Steve Shankweiler to our program,” said Lou Holtz, who was in Orlando, site of this week’s annual American Football Coaches Association Convention. “He is a highly-regarded offensive line coach who brings a great deal of experience and enthusiasm to our staff, along with a genuine desire to help this program contend for a championship. Coach Shankweiler has demonstrated he has an excellent rapport with his players and I believe he will help bring an outstanding chemistry to our coaching staff.”

A 1974 graduate of Davidson College with a degree in history, Shankweiler went on to earn a master’s degree in physical education from Georgia State in 1978. He was a two-year football letterman and three-year letterwinner in track at Davidson.

“Having coached against and recruited against South Carolina for many years, I’ve always thought this was a program that could compete for a championship,” said Shankweiler. “I’ve admired Coach Holtz for many, many years and I used to drive all the way to Arkansas to attend his coaching clinics. He’s one of the best coaches in the history of the game and I’m extremely excited about having the opportunity to work with him at South Carolina.”

Shankweiler also served as an assistant coach at The Citadel for four seasons (1980-83) and Western Kentucky University from 1984-86, where he worked under Gamecock assistant coach Dave Roberts, who was the Hilltoppers’ head coach at that time.

A native of Atlanta, Ga., Shankweiler coached at the high school level in Georgia, leading Redan High to the 1979 state championship before moving on to the collegiate coaching ranks.

Shankweiler is married to the former Patti Ann Thompson and they have three children: a son Kort, and daughters, Lori and Jennifer.