Donald Shea graduated from North Hills High School in 1970 and continued to further his education at Slippery Rock University where he received his degree in 1974.
Not only was he a student and SRU, but he was also an athlete. From 1971-1974, Shea was a member the soccer team and was its’ Captain at the varsity level in 1972 and 1973. In 1973, Don was selected to the 1st Team of the All-West Penn Intercollegiate Soccer League. By his senior year he was selected to the 1st Team All-PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) and received a bachelor’s degree.
Also in 1974, he served as a teacher and boy’s soccer, boy’s lacrosse and girl’s track coach at Oakland Mills High School in Maryland, where he has been for the last 36 years and was recently honored as the “Senior Class Teacher of the Year” in 2009 and 2010.
Shea has led OMHS teams to nine Maryland Public School State Soccer Championships, which were the most State Championships of any high school in the state of Maryland. He is among the top three coaches involved in high school boys soccer in Maryland with a 312-95-25 record wile 76 of those victories were in major tournaments.
He has led the team to 11 Final Four MPSSAA Regional Championships, 4 of his teams were ranked in the USA Today Top 20, 8 of his players went on to become US National Team Players, and he coached 44 All State Maryland Players. He coached 11 players who have played professionally, the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year, and 31 of his former players are now coaching in 24 high schools and 7 colleges around the country.
Shea was the 6-Time Baltimore Sun Coach of the Year, 3-time Washington Post Coach of the Year, the Coach of the Year for Maryland State Association of Coaches, the South Regional National Coach of the Year, and Served on Maryland State High School Soccer Committee.
Aside from soccer, Shea also coached the lacrosse team to three Regional Runner-Up finishes, and one Regional Final-Four. He coached three All-State Maryland players and one National All-American player.
Continuing his coaching, he expanded into another realm; girl’s track, where he led the team to one Final Four Regional Championship and four Howard County Championships accompanied by Regional Championships.
Now, Donald and his wife Nancy, a former SRU cheerleader and swim team member, reside in Columbia, Maryland. They have three children; Trevor, who is a high school teacher and soccer coach, and Megan and Molly who are both engineers.
DONALD SHEA was a member of The Rock men’s soccer program from 1971-73. Shea served as team captain in 1972 and 1973 and earned first-team All-West Penn Intercollegiate Soccer League and All-PSAC honors in his senior season.
