Dan Shula Named Football Offensive Assistant

NORMAL, Ill. - Dan Shula - the grandson of NFL coaching legend Don Shula - has been named an offensive assistant for the Illinois State football team, head coach Brock Spack announced Monday. Shula comes to Illinois State following a two-year graduate assistantship (2007-08) at Miami (Fla.), where he worked primarily with the Hurricanes' offensive line.

Shula will assist Illinois State offensive coordinator Steve Farmer with all aspects of coaching the Redbird offense. He will also serve as an assistant director of football operations for Illinois State and as the Redbirds' co-special teams coordinator, duties he will share with assistant coach Jim Williams.

A native of Cooper City, Fla., Shula comes from one of the most well-known and distinguished coaching lineages in history. He is the grandson of legendary NFL Hall of Fame head coach Don Shula, who won an NFL-record 347 games as a head coach of the Baltimore Colts and Miami Dolphins. Dan Shula's father, David Shula, was the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals from 1992-96.

Dan Shula is also the nephew of Mike Shula, who was the head coach at Alabama from 2003-06, before accepting a position as the quarterbacks coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

"Dan comes very highly recommended," said Spack. "Having attended and played for Dartmouth, he is a very bright guy and someone who brings a cerebral approach to the game. He is also from the state of Florida, which will help our recruiting efforts tremendously."

"I'm very excited to join Coach Spack's staff and become a member of the Illinois State community," said Shula. "I believe that the Illinois State football program has all of the tools and talent necessary to become a very successful program, and I'm excited for the opportunity to work with the student-athletes to help them achieve their goals on the football field."

Shula spent the 2006 season at Alabama as a graduate assistant coach. He worked primarily with the wide receivers and quarterbacks for the Crimson Tide.

He was a three-year letterwinner at quarterback for Ivy League member Dartmouth, where he started games as a junior and appeared in 15 games total during his career.

Shula was a three-year letterman at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he was a member of the 1999 Florida Class 4A State Championship team. He still holds school records for most passing yards in a season and most passing yards in a game.

Shula earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Dartmouth in 2006. He and his wife, Kristina, have one son, Logan.

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SHULA COACHING LEDGER