STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford's Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football David Shaw announced following Saturday's game that he will step down from his position, effective immediately. Shaw, a former Stanford football student-athlete and the winningest head coach in program history, leaves with a record of 96-54. Shaw was honored with the 2017 Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year award and led Stanford to three Pac-12 titles and two Rose Bowl victories in 12 seasons.
"After many prayers and multiple discussions with my wife, one phrase keeps coming to me - it's time," Shaw said. "There are not sufficient words to describe the love and gratitude I feel for my family, all of my former and current players, my staff, this administration and the entire Stanford family. Thank you all."
A national search for Shaw's successor will begin immediately.
"I would like to thank David for his immense contributions to Stanford," Jaquish and Kenninger Director of Athletics Bernard Muir said. "David has represented Stanford football, as both a player and a coach, with unwavering grace, humility and integrity. He has cared tremendously for each and every student-athlete in his program while helping them pursue their full academic and athletic potential. David will forever remain a valued member of the Stanford football family and an integral part of the storied history of the program. I hope Cardinal fans everywhere will join me in thanking David and his family for their extraordinary years of service and wishing them all the best in their next chapter."
Shaw and Muir will be available to media at a news conference on Monday morning. More details about the news conference will be shared with members of the media on Sunday.
In addition to guiding Stanford to three Rose Bowl Game appearances, Shaw is the only four-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year, having led the Cardinal to three conference titles. Shaw's 96 overall wins rank ninth in Pac-12 history while his 65 conference victories rank fifth. Stanford achieved 29 wins against top-25 opponents (ranking eighth nationally since 2011), 11 against top-10 programs and five against top-5 foes. Additionally, the Cardinal had 43 players drafted, a total ranking tied for 13th nationally and tied for the most in the Pac-12.
The Cardinal was equally accomplished in the classroom during Shaw's tenure, boasting a nation-leading 15 Academic All-Americans since 2010, five more than any other program and 10 more than any Pac-12 school in that span, including Andrew Luck (2011) and Christian McCaffrey (2015) as Academic All-Americans of the Year.
