Former App State coach Shawn Clark dies weeks after medical emergency

BOONE, N.C. (CAROLINA SPORTS LIVE) — “He positively impacted everyone in this program,” Appalachian State head coach Dowell Loggains said on Monday on the passing of former App State player and coach, Shawn Clark.

Clark, 50, was currently the offensive line coach at the University of Central Florida, which released the news on Monday. The school said he was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday, September 9, following a medical emergency. He was still in the hospital in stable condition when he unexpectedly passed away on Sunday night.

“Difficult day for the App State family with the loss of coach Shawn Clark,” Loggains said in the opening of his Monday morning press conference. “We want to extend our deepest sympathies to Jonelle and their family.”

Clark was the coach of the Mountaineers from 2019 to 2024, where he posted a 40-24 record and won three bowl games, including a 10-win campaign in 2021. Many players on the current roster were recruited by Clark, and Loggains said he made sure to brief the players on the news before they saw anything on social media.

“We told the guys what was going on, and you could see it in their faces what Coach meant to these guys. I know from the community, and his old teammates, and the people that he’s coached how much he meant and impacted young people,” Coach Loggains said. “You get into coaching to impact young people, and Coach accomplished that mission.”

Coach Clark’s teams won multiple Sun Belt East Division titles and were ranked among the nation’s top offensive line units in 2018 and 2019.

Clark was in his first season at UCF as the team’s offensive line coach.

“Shawn was so much more than a coach. He was a remarkable man, husband, and father who cared deeply about his players and staff,” UCF head coach Scott Frost said. “The reaction of our players and coaches to the news this morning is a testament to Shawn’s character and the impact he had on every life that he touched. He was loved. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Jonelle, and children, Giana and Braxton. We are here to support them and will continue to keep them in our hearts and prayers.”

As a player, Clark was a two-time All-American and three-time all-conference selection on the offensive line at App State, where the Mountaineers went 45-16 during his tenure. Before UCF and App State, Clark had coaching stops at Eastern Kentucky, Purdue and Kent State.

Clark graduated from App State with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 1998 and earned a master’s in education from Louisville in 2003.

“It’s a hard day for us, for the App State family, and we’ll get through it together,” Loggains said.