Shane Beamer sends condolences to Shawn Clark’s family, reflects on crossing paths

The college football world recently suffered a massive loss. UCF offensive line coach and former Appalachian State head coach Shawn Clark passed away at the age of 50 after a brief health battle.

In the wake of his passing, there has been an outpouring of support for Clark. That includes from South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer, who crossed paths with him in recent years.

“Also want to send our condolences and prayers to the family of Shawn Clark,” Shane Beamer said. “The former App State head coach that was at UCF now and passed away tragically yesterday. Didn’t know him well but knew him. The App State staff always came down and participated in our summer camps in the summertime, and can remember many conversations I had with Coach Clark when he was here in Colombia for Camp.”

Football coaching is often compared to a fraternity. In some cases, that’s because they attended those camps together. Other times, they worked on the same staffs. In the case of Shawn Clark and current South Carolina staffer Shawn Elliott, they were actually teammates on their college team with App State. So, the impact is actually felt throughout programs like South Carolina, even though Clark never coached there.

Shawn Clark was a West Virginia native who played offensive line for the Mountaineers from 1994 to 1998. In 2001, he began his coaching career and, for the most part, found himself as an offensive line coach. That included at App State, where he’d be promoted to head coach in 2020. After being fired there to end the 2024 season, he was hired by UCF to be the Knights’ next offensive line coach.

On September 9th, Shawn Clark would be hospitalized with an undisclosed medical emergency. Then, on September 21st, he would pass away. He is survived by his wife, Jonelle, and their two children.

“Awesome husband. Awesome father. Tragic, terrible situation. Shawn Elliott is obviously super close with him,” Beamer said. “Going back to their App State ties. So, just a really, really tough situation. I ask that you keep he and his family in your prayers.”

UCF head coach Scott Frost on Shawn Clark’s passing

In the immediate aftermath of his death, UCF shared an announcement that Shawn Clark had passed away. Within that, head coach Scott Frost shared his condolences and mourned Clark.

“Shawn was so much more than a coach. He was a remarkable man, husband, and father who cared deeply about his players and staff,” Frost said. “The reaction of our players and coaches to the news this morning is a testament to Shawn’s character and the impact he had on every life that he touched. He was loved. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Jonelle, and children, Giana and Braxton. We are here to support them and will continue to keep them in our hearts and prayers.”