Fairfield Prep now has a football coach. The Jesuits announced today that Tom Shea will be the eighth coach in the school’s history. The school released the following statement:
Fairfield Prep is pleased to announce Tom Shea ’73, current English teacher and past Freshman and JV Football coach, has been selected as the new Varsity Football Head Coach. Tom has taught English at Prep since 2005, following a successful business career as founder and chief business executive for several communications ventures.
Tom played football for Fairfield Prep and Harvard University, where he received his B.A. He continued his studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science where he earned a Master of Sciences.
Tom met with enthusiastic Prep students on January 20 to talk about his new position and the coming season: “I am honored and proud to be named just the 8th coach in Prep football history, and I look forward to working with our young men to revitalize our winning traditions. I feel we have the talent to be a good football team, but it is up to the players and their level of commitment and dedication to determine when that will be.”
I’ve met Shea and he seems like a nice guy. I’ve also heard complaints about him already. Rumors were circulating about Marce Petroccio and Dave Cadelina being interested in the position. Petroccio’s name was out there a year ago when Rich Magdon retired. I find a hard time believing that if there were serious interest from both sides that Shea would be the coach now, so I’ll chalk those up to rumors.
Either way, I think Shea will have more of an opportunity than Billy Pinto did, and here’s hoping that Shea’s coaches don’t quit on him midseason like the Jesuits’ coaching staff did this year.
It’ll be interesting to see how this change impacts Prep’s season. Prep faithful out there, you know Shea better than I, what do you think of the decision?
I know Tom Shea. I played football with Tom Shea for three years. In 1972 we turned-in an 8-2 season. Not much was expected of us having come off the 1970 and 1971 seasons, yet we succeeded. Tom gutted it out, as we all did that year. He knows what it takes to win athletically and professionally.
Tom has been quoted as saying “.. it is up to the players and their level of commitment and dedication to determine when that [a good football team] will be”. I remember distinctly Earl Lavery saying teh very same thing to us during double sessions before the 1972 season. They’re both correct!
Those that criticize, detract from the real issues. And that is getting the team back on the winning track! Anonymously leaving back-handed comments will not help achieve that goal. It will only reinforce descension and bad behavior.
Tom is a quality person and very smart about football. I would be proud to have Tom coach my sons. He can’t do it alone.
When I met Tom Shea in 1969 he was a quality person.
I don’t think 41 years and a Harvard education changed that.
Tom played for Earl Lavery and I’m sure he learned a thing or two about football and coaching from him. Joe Brosley was still at Prep at that time also and he helped instill a respect for what had become a winning tradition.
I’m sure he will be a great coach. I know that he definitely will strive to be one.
Good Luck to Tom Shea & Prep Football.
Willie Shea will be an outstanding coach for my alma mater.
But really, folks. FP does not get the hard-nosed type of kid they used to. The high tuition costs make it a breeding ground for soccer and lacrosse kids, not footballers. And many of their parents think their kids are precious little gems.
No coach can change this attitude or the silver-spoon demographic that FP now attracts.
It’s just the way of the world.
Boss, you hit it on the head, nothing in the way of hardware because they had the Holy Trinity there: Harris, Magdon and Pinto, not because of Shea he held up his side.
Why did you want to talk to Shea to ask him why your kid wasn’t playing I wouldn’t speak with you either,Pop Warner is over you don’t pay for your kid to play anymore so right or wrong he’s the coach. I don’t know of one coach who wants to lose. Tell your kid to keep working if he is better than someone else at some point they will figure it out.
Hey Bunker:
Fair enough. You are wrong about me being a parent of a player who didn’t play enough. But whatever. Shea is a dinosaur. He does not stay up to date on best coaching methods and his assistants are nice guys but also leather heads. I appreciate your loyalty to an old coach. It should be no other way. Same with Prep player. I love all my idiot coaches from my youth because we bled and cried together. But it didn’t necessarily make them good coaches. Those “stretches” he speaks of were NOT coaching. They had D1 talent, yet nothing in the way of hardware to show for it.
Go Prep.
Boss
When my son was a Freshman, Coach Shea took a team that he recognized lacked size and he worked them hard, they recovered from a slow start to finish .500 including if I remember correctly a very close game against NDWH who’s freshman are now the seniors that finished 1st in the State this year. He know’s his football, I didn’t always agree with all his coaching decisions ( I didn’t agree with all of Coughlins in 07 either) but I’m not the coach. He is a leader and someone the kids WANT and WILL follow and I have no doubt if the school spends a little money ie; practice uniforms and enough equipment for everyone, they will be back.
Also at the beginning of the season he talks to the parents about things such as parents asking about play calling and playing time things he won’t talk about, so why would that be a surprise that he wouldn’t talk to you.
Hey Boss- The prep player said it all.
You sound like the parent of a player who you feel that your son did not get enough playing time. Hard work is always rewarded under Shea’s system.If you attended the parents meetings Shea had for his freshman parents you would have heard his philosophy on coaching and the plan he had for his team.Team them to assimilate into the Prep family; teach them to play the game with sportsmanship and class, and maybe win a few games along the way. To knock Shea and his coaches is your right, thanks to our freedom of speech.. but if you feel it can be done better- volunteer to be there from mid August to Thanksgiving and see what it takes!
Tim- this was the new AD’s first hire.
Prepster, who were these good coaches who applied for the position. And this was the new AD’s first football coach hiring, wasn’t it? I thought Pinto was hired by the last administration, I could be wrong though and will admit it if I am.
I played football at Prep for 4 years, both with Coach Shea as a JV coach, and then with Pinto while he was still the defensive cordinator and O-line coach. I can promise you that if you took a poll of all the players who have played under both coaches, who was the better coach, teacher(both in the classroom and in life) and motivator of his players, the resounding answer would be Shea(and that is not a knock on Pinto). Shea will be a great fit with prep as all the players will respect him and play harder for him than any other coach. As to the person saying he wasn’t a good coach, he coached the players he had to be as good as they could be, it wasn’t his fault if he did not have the best talent on the field. There was a stretch where the prep JV teams went 9-1 and 10-0 for about 4 years due mainly to coach Shea and some talented players. No offense to the Freshman football teams he had been coaching his last couple years at prep, but the talent has dropped off significantly due to changes in admission procedures at the school , why do you think Magdon decided to go out when he did, he saw the writing on the wall. As Freshman last years prep seniors finished about .500 if i recall while 4 years later under coach Pinto they went 0-10 for the first time in who knows how long. He might not be the easiest man to talk to, but he will get the best out of all his players and they will be better people for having played under him. While prep may not rebound and win 10 games next year give coach Shea 3 or 4 years and prep will be back amongst the big boys of the S.C.C. and class L.L.
This is a sad day for Prep football. This had to be a dollars hire. There were many GOOD coaches that applied for this position. The only reason they did not get the job had to do with money. Shea has never coached at a varsity level, Magdon made sure of that!!! He is not even capable of coaching freshmen. He can’t manage a game and he freezes in tight spots.
This program has taken a giant step backwards if this is the future of the program. Supposedly he withdrew his name from the race last year because he said that when his son will graduates in 2 years and planned to leave. I guess that was a lot of bull!!!
What Boss said is true, all of it. This was the second big mistake the AD did in his first year. The majority of the kids don’t like Shea because he says one thing and does another. All he does is try and sweet talk you with his Harvard mouth. Ask any father that goes to the games if this is a quality coach.
All I can say is good luck to those kids there going to need it.
Shea is a much better English teacher than he is a football coach. His approach is simplistic and his teams should be much better than their record shows as he gets out coached and does not utilize players very well. He has no concept of keeping players involved but at least he will no longer be a freshman or JV coach where the idea is to develop talent not stifle it. He and his coaching staff played the same players and wore them down. Favorites are picked and hard work is not rewarded. Excellent crop of freshman this year and he barely had a winning record. Adjustments are non-existent and his staff’s coaching consists of yelling things like “you have to make a play.”
Suffice it to say his coaches won’t quit because they have no where else to go. Also, he is impossible to talk to and unapproachable which is surprising when you look at his education and background. Unlike some typical stupid football coaches you would think a guy like this would not be afraid to discuss and explain stuff to parents.
Congratulations to Prep and Tom Shea on a move that happened one year too late.
Quality people surround themselves with quality. There will never be a quitter on Shea’s staff. Shea is a great fit who is well respected by his players. Just talk to the current players that played for him.
BTW Pat rumors are just that…. rumors.