Pete Shinnick named new TU football head coach

By Towson University Athletics on December 13. 2022

Baltimore native Pete Shinnick, who guided the University of West Florida to a Division II national championship in 2019 and playoff appearances in four of the last five seasons, has been named Towson University's head football coach.

The son of former Baltimore Colts linebacker Don Shinnick, the younger Shinnick is 159-67 (.704 winning percentage) all-time as a college head coach. His career spans 20 seasons with stops at West Florida, UNC Pembroke and Azusa Pacific. He has also earned Division II National Coach of the Year twice.

Shinnick signed a five-year contract and was introduced at a news conference in SECU Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 14.

"Pete Shinnick has been a winner at every stop," says Steve Eigenbrot. Towson University’s athletic director. "We were looking for a leader with a vision, who draws people into the program and toward him. Over the last 20 years, at three different institutions, Pete has done just that. His leadership and character make him a perfect fit for Towson."

As the Tigers' fifth head coach, Shinnick follows Carl Runk (1969–71), Phil Albert (1972–1991), Gordy Combs (1992–2008) and Rob Ambrose (2009–2022). Towson University is the only program in the nation to earn playoff berths at the Division III, Division II and Division I levels, including a trip to the FCS championship game in 2013.

“I’ve followed this program since that national championship run, and I always felt like this could be that type of program," Shinnick says. "Once the job opened, I started to investigate and learn more about it and became excited about what kind of opportunity this is."