There is no playbook for losing a loved one.
UCF football has learned that the hard way this week after the death of offensive line coach Shawn Clark, who passed away Sunday night after being hospitalized after suffering a medical emergency on Sept. 9.
A friend, a father, a mentor and a coach … all of those words were used to describe Clark, 50, who joined Scott Frost’s coaching staff in January.
“I just miss my friend,” Frost said while fighting back tears on Wednesday. “I wasn’t around him as long as I’ve been around some other people, but he just had an energy and a spirit about him. He was one of my favorite people I’ve ever been around and coached with. It’s a tough deal, but we have a football game to play, too.”
UCF hits the road for the first time this season with a trip to Kansas to face Kansas State on Saturday. It’s also the Big 12 opener for the Knights, who are entering Year 3 in the Power Four conference.
It’s challenging to concentrate on tactics and strategies when you’re also navigating grief, especially when working with young men who might not have experienced loss before.
“One of my first messages to the team every year is, let’s be great at football,” said Frost. “Football is what we do. We love football. Football is not life. Every time something like this happens, it makes you realize, as fanatic as people get about winning and losing a game on Saturdays, it’s trivial compared to real things in life.”
Frost expressed that his heart aches for Clark’s family — his wife, Jonelle, and their children, Giana and Braxton. He remarked that the overwhelming wave of appreciation and support in the wake of Clark’s passing highlights just how special he was and the impact he had on people’s lives.
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“Shawn’s compassion and passion for his players and his love for his players were real,” said Frost. “They knew that and that’s why he fit in so well here. He was a perfect example of the type of man that I want in our building and the right person to be around your football team.”
When addressing the message to the players, defensive coordinator Alex Grinch shared a personal reflection on the loss of his father-in-law. He expressed how life for himself and his family will never be the same, yet emphasized that the world keeps moving forward, regardless of the struggles they face.
“I remember picking up food at a restaurant on a Saturday night after the funeral and your whole world has absolutely been rocked and will never go back to normal,” Grinch said. “When you go into a restaurant to pick up food, it’s just a Saturday night for everybody else. It just smacks you right in the face. That’s our reality on a much smaller scale than being a member of his family.
“The hardest part is you don’t know what message you’re giving and you feel like every time you’re focusing on football, that you’re doing wrong by him. [Football] is a great distraction for the guys and once you get on the grass or in the meeting room, you’re thrust into it.”
Grinch shared that Clark used to sit next to him in team meetings.
“There’s a void and I’m going to make sure in my time that no one sits in that chair,” he said.
Offensive coordinator Steve Cooper worked closely with Clark during the team’s weekly game planning. He believes the team will rely on one another for support throughout this tragedy.
“Being able to rely on your teammate and it’s no different for us as a staff,” said Cooper. “Reminding each other how much we love each other and care about each other and why we do this. These things sound cliché, but it’s so real when you get to be a part of a team.”
UCF plans to honor Clark with a decal on the backs of their helmets for Saturday’s game against the Wildcats.
“It seems so trivial, we’re going to put our sticker on our helmet with his initials,” Frost explained. “You just wish there was something more than you can do and you can’t. The best thing we can do is cherish the time that we had with him and try to fight on.”
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.
