Bengals Name Paul Shaffner New Head Football Coach
BUFFALO, NY - Paul Shaffner, head coach of Division II Glenville State (WV), has been named the fourth head football coach at Buffalo State.
We are pleased to have a person of Paul Shaffner's caliber join us as head football coach, said President Muriel A. Howard. With a record of effective leadership, we are sure he can provide the kind of direction that will enable our football program to excel.
We are confident that Director Jerry Boyes and Coach Paul Shaffner, both of whom hail from the same football tradition, are the right combination for Buffalo State College, said Vice President for Student Affairs Hal Payne.
We had a very strong pool of candidates, but Paul separated himself as the best fit for our program, said Athletics Director Jerry Boyes. He has a proven record of success and has demonstrated a vested interest in his student-athletes on and off the field. We're very excited to have Paul as our new football coach and excited about the future of Buffalo State football.
A West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletics Conference Coach of the Year, Shaffner led the Pioneers to a championship two years after he began as coach of Glenville in 2000. Off the field, he helped establish academic integrity as the team's overall grade point average rose from 1.9 to above 2.5.
Active in college football for more than 20 years, Shaffner's coaching experience began as the defensive coordinator at Division III Maine Maritime Academy from 1983 through 1985.
He spent the next two years as a graduate assistant coach on Joe Paterno's staff at Penn State University and enjoyed a Division I National Championship in his first season thanks to a Fiesta Bowl victory over the University of Miami.
He served as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator at Division I-AA Lafayette College in Easton. Pa., from 1988 to 1999, where he helped his team to two Patriot League championships and a Colonial League title.
I'm delighted to be returning to Buffalo and Western New York, said Shaffner, a native of Lancaster, NY. But I'm most excited about the opportunity to take a football program, one that I have great respect for, and begin its climb back as an elite Division III program.
A 1982 graduate of Ithaca College, where he earned both Bachelor and Master of Science Degrees in physical education, Shaffner served as a co-captain at center and played on the 1979 NCAA Division III National Championship team and 1980 National runner-up squad for the Bombers. He won the Sebring Memorial Award his senior year for the top Scholar-Athlete.
We are pleased to have a person of Paul Shaffner's caliber join us as head football coach, said President Muriel A. Howard. With a record of effective leadership, we are sure he can provide the kind of direction that will enable our football program to excel.
We are confident that Director Jerry Boyes and Coach Paul Shaffner, both of whom hail from the same football tradition, are the right combination for Buffalo State College, said Vice President for Student Affairs Hal Payne.
We had a very strong pool of candidates, but Paul separated himself as the best fit for our program, said Athletics Director Jerry Boyes. He has a proven record of success and has demonstrated a vested interest in his student-athletes on and off the field. We're very excited to have Paul as our new football coach and excited about the future of Buffalo State football.
A West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletics Conference Coach of the Year, Shaffner led the Pioneers to a championship two years after he began as coach of Glenville in 2000. Off the field, he helped establish academic integrity as the team's overall grade point average rose from 1.9 to above 2.5.
Active in college football for more than 20 years, Shaffner's coaching experience began as the defensive coordinator at Division III Maine Maritime Academy from 1983 through 1985.
He spent the next two years as a graduate assistant coach on Joe Paterno's staff at Penn State University and enjoyed a Division I National Championship in his first season thanks to a Fiesta Bowl victory over the University of Miami.
He served as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator at Division I-AA Lafayette College in Easton. Pa., from 1988 to 1999, where he helped his team to two Patriot League championships and a Colonial League title.
I'm delighted to be returning to Buffalo and Western New York, said Shaffner, a native of Lancaster, NY. But I'm most excited about the opportunity to take a football program, one that I have great respect for, and begin its climb back as an elite Division III program.
A 1982 graduate of Ithaca College, where he earned both Bachelor and Master of Science Degrees in physical education, Shaffner served as a co-captain at center and played on the 1979 NCAA Division III National Championship team and 1980 National runner-up squad for the Bombers. He won the Sebring Memorial Award his senior year for the top Scholar-Athlete.
Media Contact:
Jeffrey Ventura, Sports Information Director | 7168786030 | venturjm@buffalostate.edu