Tom Williams is staying at Yale.
The Stanford Athletics Department announced Thursday that it had selected David Shaw, its offensive coordinator, to lead their football team. The university’s Athletic Director, Bob Bowlsby, interviewed two other Cardinal coaches, as well as Yale head coach and Stanford alumnus Tom Williams, before making the decision.
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Shaw’s ties to Stanford may be even stronger than Williams’. The new head coach, whose father served as an assistant coach at Stanford, played four years for the Cardinal, including two seasons alongside Williams. After 13 years of coaching in the NFL and in colleges, Shaw returned to Stanford in 2007 as offensive coordinator.
Shaw’s appointment means that Williams will likely stay in New Haven, according to Yale Athletics Director Tom Beckett. When asked if Williams would consider a position other than head coach within the Stanford football program, Beckett said that he assumed Williams would not pursue an alternative position, but that he was not in the position to address the matter.
Williams could not be reached for comment Thursday.
“Coach Williams is a rising star in college coaching,” Beckett said. “We are thrilled he will be continuing to do his work with the students here at Yale and trying to build a championship team and to help our students both on and off the field. His ability as a mentor and teacher are extraordinary.”
Yale players interviewed were equally uncertain about what exactly Shaw’s appointment meant for William’s future, but expressed great respect for Williams and hope that he will remain at the program’s helm.
“I don’t personally know if he is staying or is not,” said wide receiver Gio Christodoulou ’11, who will play another year on the team thanks to a medical redshirt. “He hasn’t contacted the team, but last I heard was that he was still going to be our coach.”
Stanford safety Chris Gaertner said in an e-mail to the News that Williams was a good candidate and well-liked by the football team. He added that while no athletes were on the hiring committee, the team is happy with the decision to hire Shaw.
Williams,Yale’s 33rd head football coach, was a defensive assistant with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars before accepting the head coaching position with the Bulldogs and spent time as an assistant coach at the University of Hawaii, Stanford, and the University of Washington. Last season, he coached the Elis to a 7–3 record after going 4–6 during his first year at Yale, but has yet to beat Harvard. Yale has won only one game of the Elis’ last ten meetings against the Crimson.