Don Shows
Encyclopedia
Donald Harrison Shows, known as Don Shows (born 1940), is a champion high school
and college football
coach
who since 1989 has directed the West Monroe High School
Rebels in West Monroe
, Louisiana
. On June 25, 2011, Shows will be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame
, located in Natchitoches
. The nominees are chosen by a 30-member committee of the Louisiana Sportswriters Association. The 2011 nominees will bring the number thus far honored to 285.
in Lincoln Parish
, where he graduated in 1958 from Ruston High School
and played football under coach Hoss Garrett: "We ran the Notre Dame Box
. I played tailback, which is essentially the same as a quarterback in the 'gun.' I also ran track and played baseball
. I won four state championships in track." As a child, Shows actually preferred baseball and basketball to football, and he still watches other sports competitions besides football. He attended Louisiana Tech University
in Ruston from 1958–1963 and graduated with teacher certification in science and physical education
. He is married to the former Daune Ducote, originally from Alexandria
, Louisiana. The couple has four children, Stephanie, Kim, Casey, and Haley. Shows is also an active hunter and fisherman.
, Shows coached the Jonesboro-Hodge High School
Tigers in Jonesboro
, Louisiana, to the 1977 state championship. That competition, against John Curtis Christian High School
in River Ridge
in Jefferson Parish
, was the last game played at the old Tulane University
Stadium in New Orleans
.
Since his arrival at West Monroe, Shows has led the Rebels to sixteen district, seven state, and two national championships. The Rebels also secured six state runner-up designations. Before Shows took over the Rebels, the team had mostly losing seasons for many previous years.
Shows also formerly coached at Farmerville
in Union Parish
and Pineville High School
in Pineville
in Rapides Parish
. In 1985, he was a 45-year-old graduate assistant at the University of Louisiana at Monroe
, then known as Northeast Louisiana State University, where he coached the linebackers for the ULM Indians
, since the Warhawks. In 1988, as offensive line coach, he helped to propel the Demons
of Northwestern State University
in Natchitoches to a conference championship. He coached several Division 1 college players, several of whom went on to play at Louisiana State University
in Baton Rogue
.
(of Marrero
) for the championship. We were facing 4th and goal, down 19-14 with about a minute and a half left in the game, and Rodney Reed made a great adjustment on his block, Lane LaBorde made the right read, and Willis Britton followed Reed into the end zone for the win! Beating Carencro
(Lafayette Parish
) in the 1996 state championship was incredible! And beating St. Augustine
(in New Orleans) in 1993 was awesome because no one thought we could, but we proved a lot of people wrong that day!" West Monroe had been expected to finish last in 1996 in District 2-5A that year but instead went undefeated in district for the first time.
. The award is named for the first West Monroe chamber president. Greg Hilburn, staff writer for the Monroe News Star
writes that Shows "took over a moribund West Monroe football program in 1989. The school had been to the playoffs only twice in forty years before his arrival as head coach." In a previous interview with the News Star, Shows said that upon his arrival the West Monroe program was "at a point in time where it was going to fold up ... or it was going to turn around. Personally, I don't think anybody really cared one way or the other, because they didn't think you could win here." The Rebels last won a state championship on December 12, 2009, when they beat Archbishop Rummel High School
in Metairie
, 30-0, at the Louisiana Superdome
in New Orleans.
Mayor
Dave Norris of West Monroe noted that the West Monroe High School football program "lagged until Don came along. And the success of the football program has clearly bled into other segments of our city. It's a point of pride in our city and a reason for us to come together . . . "
Shows' state championships were in 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2005, and 2009. He was runner-up once at Jonesboro-Hodge and at West Monroe in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008, and 2010. On December 11, 2010, Shows' West Monroe Rebels lost 21-14 to the Acadiana High School
Rams of Lafayette Parish in the Class 5-A title game at the Superdome.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
and college football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
who since 1989 has directed the West Monroe High School
West Monroe High School
West Monroe High School is a high school in West Monroe, Louisiana, United States. It is administered by the Ouachita Parish School Board.It is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The school's mascot is the Rebel.-Band:...
Rebels in West Monroe
West Monroe, Louisiana
West Monroe is a city in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 13,250 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Monroe Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. On June 25, 2011, Shows will be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame
Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame
-Inductees:Official Hall of Fame Portraits created by Chris Brown 2009–present-External links:* website...
, located in Natchitoches
Natchitoches, Louisiana
Natchitoches is a city in and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February...
. The nominees are chosen by a 30-member committee of the Louisiana Sportswriters Association. The 2011 nominees will bring the number thus far honored to 285.
Background
Shows was reared in RustonRuston, Louisiana
Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population...
in Lincoln Parish
Lincoln Parish, Louisiana
Lincoln Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Ruston. In 2004, its population was estimated to be 42,382...
, where he graduated in 1958 from Ruston High School
Ruston High School
Ruston High School is a 4 year public high school located in the Lincoln Parish School District of Ruston, Louisiana, United States. The school has an enrollment of approximately 1200 students with 85 faculty members; the mascot is the bearcat. The school colors are red and white. Black students...
and played football under coach Hoss Garrett: "We ran the Notre Dame Box
Notre Dame Box
The Notre Dame Box was a variation of the single-wing formation used in American football, with great success by Notre Dame in college football and the Green Bay Packers of the 1920s and 1930s in the NFL...
. I played tailback, which is essentially the same as a quarterback in the 'gun.' I also ran track and played baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. I won four state championships in track." As a child, Shows actually preferred baseball and basketball to football, and he still watches other sports competitions besides football. He attended Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings...
in Ruston from 1958–1963 and graduated with teacher certification in science and physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
. He is married to the former Daune Ducote, originally from Alexandria
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
, Louisiana. The couple has four children, Stephanie, Kim, Casey, and Haley. Shows is also an active hunter and fisherman.
Coaching assignments
Prior to his long tenure at West Monroe in Ouachita ParishOuachita Parish, Louisiana
-National protected areas:* Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge* D'Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 147,250 people, 55,216 households, and 38,319 families residing in the parish. The population density was 241 people per square mile...
, Shows coached the Jonesboro-Hodge High School
Jonesboro-Hodge High School
Jonesboro-Hodge High School is a high school located in North Central Louisiana. It is located in Jonesboro in Jackson Parish, Louisiana. The school mascot is the Tiger, named after LSU. The colors are scarlet and royal blue...
Tigers in Jonesboro
Jonesboro, Louisiana
Jonesboro is a town in and the parish seat of Jackson Parish in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 3,914 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ruston Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, Louisiana, to the 1977 state championship. That competition, against John Curtis Christian High School
John Curtis Christian High School
John Curtis Christian High School is a co-ed private high school in River Ridge, Louisiana. The school colors are red, white, and blue. The mascot is a Patriot. John Curtis Christian High School was founded by John Curtis Senior in 1962.-Football:...
in River Ridge
River Ridge, Louisiana
River Ridge is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a suburb of New Orleans. The population was 14,588 at the 2000 census.- History :...
in Jefferson Parish
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Jefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States that includes most of the suburbs of New Orleans. The seat of parish government is Gretna....
, was the last game played at the old Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
Stadium in New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
.
Since his arrival at West Monroe, Shows has led the Rebels to sixteen district, seven state, and two national championships. The Rebels also secured six state runner-up designations. Before Shows took over the Rebels, the team had mostly losing seasons for many previous years.
Shows also formerly coached at Farmerville
Farmerville, Louisiana
Farmerville is a town in and the parish seat of Union Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,808 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Monroe Metropolitan Statistical Area...
in Union Parish
Union Parish, Louisiana
Union Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Farmerville....
and Pineville High School
Pineville High School (Louisiana)
Pineville High School is a coeducational public high school located in Pineville, in Rapides Parish in central Louisiana. The school opened in 1952. Previously, high school students north of the Red River attended either Bolton High School or Peabody High School in Alexandria.-Profile:Pineville...
in Pineville
Pineville, Louisiana
Pineville is a city in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is adjacent to the city of Alexandria, and is part of that city's Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,829 at the 2000 census....
in Rapides Parish
Rapides Parish, Louisiana
-Military Installations:*Camp Beauregard *Esler Airfield *England Air Force Base *Camp Claiborne *Camp Livingston -Demographics:...
. In 1985, he was a 45-year-old graduate assistant at the University of Louisiana at Monroe
University of Louisiana at Monroe
The University of Louisiana at Monroe is a coeducational public university in Monroe, Louisiana and part of the University of Louisiana System.-History:...
, then known as Northeast Louisiana State University, where he coached the linebackers for the ULM Indians
ULM Warhawks
The Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks are the sports teams of the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 14 sports: baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, football, men's and women's golf, women's soccer, softball, men's and women's track and field, women's tennis, and...
, since the Warhawks. In 1988, as offensive line coach, he helped to propel the Demons
Northwestern State Demons
The Northwestern State University athletic teams go by the Demons, with women's athletic teams generally called the Lady Demons, and its mascot is Vic the Demon. Once a member of the celebrated SIAA conference, the school now competes in the Southland Conference....
of Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University, known as NSU, is a four-year public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the University of Louisiana System.NSU was founded in 1884 as...
in Natchitoches to a conference championship. He coached several Division 1 college players, several of whom went on to play at Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in Baton Rogue
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
.
Favorite football moment
Shows describes his favorite football moment from 1997, "when we [West Monroe] were playing ShawArchbishop Shaw High School
Archbishop Shaw High School is an Archdiocesan school administered under the Salesians of St. John Bosco. It is approved by the Louisiana State Department of Education and the Southern Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges. Founded in 1962, it is located in Marrero, Louisiana...
(of Marrero
Marrero, Louisiana
Marrero is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. Marrero is on the West Bank of the Mississippi River, within the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area...
) for the championship. We were facing 4th and goal, down 19-14 with about a minute and a half left in the game, and Rodney Reed made a great adjustment on his block, Lane LaBorde made the right read, and Willis Britton followed Reed into the end zone for the win! Beating Carencro
Carencro, Louisiana
Carencro[p] is a small city in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is a suburb of the nearby city of Lafayette. The population was 6,120 at the 2000 census. Its name comes from the Louisiana Creole word for buzzard: the spot was one where large flocks of buzzards roosted in the bald...
(Lafayette Parish
Lafayette Parish, Louisiana
Lafayette Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Lafayette. According to the 2010 Census, its population was recorded as 221,578....
) in the 1996 state championship was incredible! And beating St. Augustine
St. Augustine High School (New Orleans)
St. Augustine High School or "St. Aug" is an all-boys parochial high school in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It was founded in 1951 and covers grades 6 through 12 .-History:...
(in New Orleans) in 1993 was awesome because no one thought we could, but we proved a lot of people wrong that day!" West Monroe had been expected to finish last in 1996 in District 2-5A that year but instead went undefeated in district for the first time.
Legacy
In January 2010, Shows received the A.O. Evans Award for community service from the West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber of CommerceChamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
. The award is named for the first West Monroe chamber president. Greg Hilburn, staff writer for the Monroe News Star
Monroe News Star
The News-Star is the principal newspaper of Monroe and northeastern Louisiana. Its circulation area ranges over some dozen parishes from Ruston, the seat of Lincoln Parish, on the west, to Tallulah in Madison Parish on the east, to the Arkansas state line on the north, and to Ferriday in Concordia...
writes that Shows "took over a moribund West Monroe football program in 1989. The school had been to the playoffs only twice in forty years before his arrival as head coach." In a previous interview with the News Star, Shows said that upon his arrival the West Monroe program was "at a point in time where it was going to fold up ... or it was going to turn around. Personally, I don't think anybody really cared one way or the other, because they didn't think you could win here." The Rebels last won a state championship on December 12, 2009, when they beat Archbishop Rummel High School
Archbishop Rummel High School
Archbishop Rummel High School is a Catholic secondary school located in Metairie, a community in unincorporated Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. The school is named after Archbishop Joseph Rummel, a former Archbishop in the Archdiocese of New Orleans....
in Metairie
Metairie, Louisiana
Metairie is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States and is a major part of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area. Metairie is the largest community in Jefferson Parish. It is an unincorporated area that would be larger than most of the state's cities if it were...
, 30-0, at the Louisiana Superdome
Louisiana Superdome
The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, previously known as the Louisiana Superdome and colloquially known as the Superdome, is a sports and exhibition arena located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA...
in New Orleans.
Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Dave Norris of West Monroe noted that the West Monroe High School football program "lagged until Don came along. And the success of the football program has clearly bled into other segments of our city. It's a point of pride in our city and a reason for us to come together . . . "
Shows' state championships were in 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2005, and 2009. He was runner-up once at Jonesboro-Hodge and at West Monroe in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008, and 2010. On December 11, 2010, Shows' West Monroe Rebels lost 21-14 to the Acadiana High School
Acadiana High School
Acadiana High School is located in Scott, Louisiana.Acadiana High School opened in 1969 following the consolidation of Judice High School, located in Judice Community, and Scott High School, located in Scott....
Rams of Lafayette Parish in the Class 5-A title game at the Superdome.