The name Tom McShannock is indelibly linked to the great tradition of sports at his alma mater, Muskegon High School.  His long career, beginning with his remarkable prep years as a three-sport athlete for the Big Reds, followed by some solid athletic accomplishments at Michigan State University and a 32-year tenure as coach and athletic director at Muskegon High School, makes him one of the area’s sports icons.  McShannock won seven varsity letters in football, basketball and track at Muskegon in the mid-30s, including all-state honors in football, conference and regional championships in track, and all-conference selection in basketball.  He enrolled at MSU on a football scholarship and earned two varsity letters as the Spartans’ starting center in 1937-38.   The highlights of his grid career at MSU included a crucial blocked punt recovery in the end zone versus Temple and a starring role against Auburn in the 1938 Orange Bowl.

After college, McShannock served in the Army Air Corps during WWII, then returned to Muskegon High in 1947 as an assistant to Harry Potter’s football program and head coach for basketball and track.  His crowning achievement as a coach was his success in track & field and cross-country.  His track teams were always competitive and his cross-country teams claimed a remarkable 28 consecutive victories and a regional championship.  He also taught swimming and was a community leader in water safety and lifeguard programs for the City of Muskegon.  In 1966 he became Athletic Director at Muskegon High and served in that capacity with distinction and integrity until his retirement in 1979.  Tom was inducted into the Michigan High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 1971 and was honored as State Athletic Director of the Year in 1980. In 1992, he received the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s highest honor, the Charles E. Forsythe Award, for his years of service to high school sports.