Football takes a backseat to faith and family this week as UCF deals with the stunning loss of offensive coach Shawn Clark, who passed away Sunday night in an Orlando-area hospital.
The Knights find themselves in the unenviable task of trying to process their grief while preparing for a road contest in a challenging environment at the 50,000-seat Bill Snyder Stadium at Kansas State (1-3) on Saturday.
When Clark was hospitalized for a medical emergency during the team’s open week, coach Scott Frost talked about the emotions surrounding himself and the team.
“You enjoy this sport and you want to do it with people you like and care about,” Frost said last week. “There are not very many guys I’ve ever been around that I enjoy being around as much as Coach Clark, not just a great coach, but just a really good man.
“Football, we love it, and it’s what we do and we spend a lot of time at it, but bigger things are happening in life.”
After the Knights’ 34-9 win over North Carolina on Saturday, Frost praised his team’s ability to handle the situation.
“We had a lot of unfortunate things kind of happen around our UCF football family this week, and I thought everybody did a good job of staying focused while realizing that football isn’t the most important thing in life. Faith and family are,” Frost said in dedicating the win to Clark.
Clark’s impact as a player, a coach and a man was evident in the hours following the school’s announcement of his passing. Social media was flooded with posts and comments from current and former players and coaches who knew the 50-year-old West Virginian.
“He believed in me, he pushed me, he molded me, and he helped me turn dreams into reality. Until I see you again, boss,” UCF tackle Owen Spell shared on X, while guard Keegan Smith added, “Thanks for giving me an opportunity my prayers and condolences to the Clark Family. Rip Coach, love you.”
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Kansas State coach Chris Klieman, who met Clark several times, paid his respects on Monday.
“My heart goes out to his family. My heart goes out to Coach Frost and the UCF athletic department and the football family,” Klieman said during his weekly news conference.
There have been other schools that lost coaches during the season.
Dana Dimel, a senior offensive assistant at Illinois, passed away on Dec. 3, 2024, and D.J. Looney, an assistant offensive line coach at Louisiana-Lafayette, passed on Aug. 1, 2020. Legendary coach Mike Leach died from complications from a heart condition during his third season at Mississippi State on Dec. 12, 2022.
Northwestern coach Randy Walker died suddenly of an apparent heart attack in June 2006.
UCF (3-0) hasn’t addressed how it will move forward on the football front this week, although the Knights relied on offensive quality control coach Alex Farah during Clark’s absence last week. He spent time working with offensive coordinator Steve Cooper, something that pleased Frost.
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“I want to say a lot about Alex Farah taking over for Coach Clark and keeping the O lineman going,” Frost said. “He’s as smart a guy as there is.”
Frost also made it clear that the team could add a veteran offensive line coach in a temporary capacity. However, that plan would obviously change.
Meanwhile, football becomes a distraction for the Knights, who hope to honor their coach when they step on the field against the Wildcats on Saturday.
“To go through something like that in-season, I can’t even imagine, but I know that they’ll lift Shawn up and play their tails off for him,” said Klieman.
Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.
