Rutherford County high school football coaching icon Philip Shadowens has decided to hang up his whistle for now. Citing some non-life threatening health issues, the veteran sideline stalker has stepped down as the head coach of William Blount High School in Maryville, Tennessee.
"I have decided it is best for me and my family to step back and concentrate on my health and family", says Shadowens. "I have a responsibility to my family to try and stick around as long as I can so it is best for me to take care of their best interests at this time. I am not saying I will not return to coaching, I am just stepping aside at this time."
Shadowens, a 1985 graduate of Smyrna high school, burst onto the high school football coaching scene in 1994 when he revived the proud football tradition at his alma mater. Guiding the Bulldogs to a 9-1 regular-season record in his very first season as a head coach, Shadowens cultivated these Canines into one of the most respected programs in the state. Under his tutelage, Smyrna became the first public school to win back-to-back TSSAA state titles in the highest football classification (2006,2007)
After leaving Smyrna in 2008, Shadowens spent one season as the head coach at Middle Tennessee Christian and guided the Cougars to their first-ever playoff appearance. The next six seasons were spent at Blackman high school. While leading the Blaze, Shadowens built a fire that burned brightly. Authoring the most wins of any coach in program history, he simply put Blackman on the high school football map.
During the past seven seasons Shadowens has been shaping the lives of young men in East Tennessee at William Blount. During his tenure as a head coach in Rutherford County, the former Bulldog football standout registered an impressive 179-78 record.
