Hall of Fame Profile: Connor Shaw Helped Make History and Looks to Do It Again

Connor Shaw (2010-2013) quarterbacked the South Carolina football team during the most successful era in program history, and he is part of the 2021 class for the University of South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame. He is now part of head coach Shane Beamer’s staff with the Gamecocks as the Director of Football Relations, and he sees parallels between his playing era and what is happening with the program now.

“I remember coming in as a freshman with that 2010 class, and you could already see the structure and leadership from some of those veterans,” Shaw recalled. “We had high goals, high standards and high expectations for what we wanted to be. A lot of those goals we accomplished. Between winning 11 games three years in a row, not losing a game inside Williams-Brice Stadium the last two years, and not losing to our in-state rival. Those were things that hadn’t been done and helped build a new level of expectations at South Carolina because of those things that we did during those four years.

“We’re already on our way with the culture that Coach Beamer is putting in place. I definitely want to be a part of South Carolina’s success and sustain that success. I want us to be contenders in the SEC East again every year.”

Shaw led the Gamecocks to three-consecutive 11-win seasons from 2011-13, posted a perfect 17-0 record at Williams-Brice Stadium during his career and owns the most wins by a quarterback in school history with 27. Shaw is also the school’s all-time record holder in career completion percentage and is second in passing touchdowns. Like many other sports heroes, he still gets recognized in most places around the state.

“I’m a homebody,” said Shaw. “We don’t get out much, but when we do, it’s very flattering. This is why a lot of people come to South Carolina; because of how passionate our fans are. I tell recruits that the same 80,000 people that come and watch you play on Saturday want to see you succeed when you hang up your South Carolina football helmet. That’s been true for me, and that’s why I never want to leave.

“Right now, I’m the most boring person on this planet. I enjoy spending time with my family. I like playing golf, and I love the game of football.”

“We walked into every stadium with the understanding that we were going to kick their tail.”

Family includes his wife, Molly, seven-year-old daughter, Mila, and four-year-old son, Decker. While he has settled down in the traditional sense, that’s not to say he still can’t sling the pigskin.

“You better believe I can!” Shaw said. “I still have the legs. I try to run the stadium every day. I do enough to let these youngsters know I still have a two-minute drive in me somewhere.”

After earning his degree in Sport and Entertainment Management, Shaw earned some time in the NFL as a free agent, playing with the Cleveland Browns (2014-2015) and the Chicago Bears (2016). Now working at his alma mater under Coach Beamer, who was an assistant during Shaw’s playing days, he enjoys doing his part to help student-athletes on and off the field.

“I work with Derek Moore who is our executive director of character and development,” Shaw said. “I work with him on character and leadership for our players. It’s being a constant resource in offering my availability to talk about where they are in life. A lot of it is about how to manage time and how to persevere through some of the things that every athlete faces. There are a lot of demands for student-athletes on a daily basis.  I also have really good relationships with all the quarterbacks, and I try to reinforce all the things that (offensive coordinator) Coach (Marcus) Satterfield is doing in that room.”

Shaw’s resume as a Gamecock gives him plenty of “street-cred” with the current student-athletes.

“I think it’s still fresh enough for some of the guys to still know who the heck I am,” Shaw laughed. “I was part of the era where South Carolina had the most success, so that might give me a little bit of credibility, but really you can throw all that stuff out the window because it’s all relationship-based. They don’t see me as a quarterback who played here 10 years ago. There are certain things I will speak on in how we had a player-led culture when I played here. Certainly, my experience as a student-athlete at South Carolina is relatable and can help those guys out. It’s been really fun to be back part of the program.

“I played for Coach Beamer back in 2010, and he is the same person but just in a different leadership position that is projected on our players and our program in the very best way possible.”

While he’s not throwing the football anymore, Shaw still enjoys being part of the game.

“I love being around the game of football and the competitive nature of it,” he said. “I see the game very differently than I used to as a player. Having a relationship with players beyond what they’re doing on the field is really fun for me. I see the game in a different lens, and I see these guys through a different lens. I see who they are, what they want to be after they’re done playing, and what motivates them.

“There are 120 players on our football team, and there’s always something going on. You have to be able to adjust and adapt. You have to keep an open door and be ready to be flexible for our players.”

Looking back, Shaw learned a great deal under former South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier, and he hopes some of his experiences will carry over to this generation of Gamecocks.

“The two things that I will take to my grave from Coach Spurrier, and I think our team adopted his mindset, are that he is the most confident and most competitive person I have ever met in my life,” Shaw said. “Our players saw that on a day-to-day basis, and we adopted that mentality. We walked into every stadium with the understanding that we were going to kick their tail.

“I think the culture that Coach Beamer is putting in place here is transforming the minds of our players with who we want to be. We know the success we want to have, and we want to sustain that success. I’m very motivated to be part of that process. It’s like he said, there’s no reason why we can’t, and I want to be a part of that.”

While he is now focused on the team, Shaw’s induction into the South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame on October 14 allows everyone else to focus on him.

“I was actually pretty shocked when I found out,” Shaw said. “It’s one of the greatest honors that I’ll receive in my lifetime, so I’m very thankful.”