Tuesday, August 19, 2008
By Pete Mollica
Shawn Coin was entering his third season with the Penguins.
YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown State football team’s afternoon practice was canceled Monday after the death of the team’s videographer.
Shawn Coin, who served as the YSU athletic department’s video coordinator, died Monday morning. He was 31.
Coin, who was starting his third year with the athletic department where he helped coordinate the entire video productions efforts, had finished filming the Penguins’ morning practice session and was in his video room when he died.
Nothing official has been released by the university, but some think Coin may have suffered a fatal heart attack.
“It was a tragic loss,” YSU football coach Jon Heacock said. “Shawn was a part of our football family and we’ve lost a member of our family.
“This is very difficult. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to his wife, Jenny, and all of his family and her family for their loss.”
Heacock said he informed the members of the team at a 2:30 p.m. meeting and then canceled afternoon practice.
“We also brought in some members of the local clergy and some staff counselors for anybody who needed them,” Heacock said.
“A lot of our older players were very close friends with Shawn, while most of our younger players hardly knew him,” he added.
Heacock said that he hasn’t really thought much about when practice sessions would resume.
“I’m not sure just what direction we are going right now,” he said. “Right now, we want to take care of our coaches, spend some time with Jen and try and get through today.”
Coin was a former assistant football coach and video coordinator at California (Pa.) University and Northern Michigan before he joined the Penguins.
He spent two years at California as video coordinator and offensive assistant, and was a video assistant, assistant strength and conditioning coordinator and assistant defensive backs coach for a year at his alma mater, Northern Michigan.
“He was ... the behind-the-scenes guy for us,” Heacock said. “He was always around and always with good things to say. He took an interest in our football team.
“He was part of the day-to-day operations here that made our job so much easier.”
Arrangements are pending.
mollica@vindy.com