Drury University Athletics

After an outstanding career at Branson (Mo.) High School, David Shannahan came to Drury in the fall of 1952 and was one of the top all-around athletes of his day. He was a four-year letterman in basketball; a two-time letterman in track/field; and, a one-year letterman in tennis. But his accomplishments in the athletic arena hardly stopped after his graduation on May 28, 1956 with a degree in physical education. Shannahan went into coaching and from 1956 to 1992 he was a high school coach in Illinois and won over 500 basketball games before his retirement. As a golf coach at Belleville West High School from 1967-1973 his teams won state golf titles in 1969, 1971 and 1973 and finished second in the state in 1972. In 1985 he was the Southern District of Illinois Basketball Coach of the Year and in 1990 he was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. In the early ‘70s he helped establish the IBCA and served on the state golf advisory board. Throughout his career, and still today, Shannahan continued to play golf and twice, in 1990 and 1992, he qualified for the USGA Senior National Golf Championships. In 1969 he earned his masters degree from Southern Illinois University and he also served as an instructor in physics at Belleville Area Community College for 28 years. For his years of service and for his success as a coach and as an athlete, Shannahan is being inducted into the Drury Sports Hall of Fame for his lifetime achievement. He and his wife, Sandy, now reside in Georgetown, Texas, where he can be found, almost daily, on the golf course.