Tom Shallenberger: A Legacy of Leadership and Dedication at Mahomet-Seymour
M-S 2024 Hall of Fame class
Tom Shallenberger, Class of 1978
Dick Watkins, Teacher 1973-2006
Induction date: Friday, Sept. 20 vs. Charleston
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By FRED KRONER
The Mahomet Schools Foundation Hall of Fame will feature 35 members after the Class of 2024 is enshrined in September.
Just two other members can match up with the total achievements of one of the 2024 inductees, Tom Shallenberger, who was not only a star athlete at Mahomet-Seymour, but also later returned to serve his alma mater as a head coach.
He joins ex-Bulldog athletes and coaches Rob Porter and James Heinold in that illustrious category.
Former M-S football coach Frank Dutton, who passed away in April, hand-picked Shallenberger to be his successor.
“I really wanted him to follow me,” Dutton said. “He had all the tools.
“He had the right attitude about what the job is. It’s not just to win, but to help kids grow up. A lot of my philosophy was his, and vice versa.
“He was a good coach and came up with good ideas. He was tremendously loyal and had a lot to do with my continued success (for 11 years as an assistant coach).”
Shallenberger was a senior captain on the 1977 M-S Class 2A football state championship team, coached by Dutton.
“He was a leader, and that led on to other things,” Dutton said. “He was like one of my kids.”
Shallenberger wasn’t anxious to gain recognition for what he did behind the scenes and away from the practice field.
One example took place in the 1990s.
M-S had a player with the potential to play in college, but he was unable to have transportation to various colleges for campus visits.
Shallenberger not only chauffeured the student-athlete, but also handled much of the subsequent correspondence with college coaches.
The athlete wound up attending Southern Illinois University, playing football and now is a high school teacher and football head coach.
Shallenberger considered it just part of the job.
“My philosophy was to help kids be good solid young men and better people,” Shallenberger said. “I never worried about the wins and losses.
“I felt if you did the other things, you would be successful.
After transferring from Nokomis to M-S as a freshman, Shallenberger was a three-year varsity starter for the Bulldogs as a lineman.
He also earned three varsity letters in track and field, qualifying for state in the shot put. Shallenberger played basketball two years and wrestled for one.
Even though he weighed 175 pounds, he competed in the heavyweight division as a junior in wrestling.
“I never considered myself a great athlete, but I was a hard-working person, dedicated and committed,” Shallenberger said.
Those same traits were staples of his coaching tenure.
“I never asked anyone to work harder than myself,” Shallenberger said. “I did everything I could to make the team and players have success, whether that was scouting or preparing for a game.”
Brad Stipp was an assistant coach under both Dutton and Shallenberger. Though both produced winning teams, their methods were not identical.
“Frank oversaw everything and wanted input on every facet of the game,” Stipp said. “Tom segmented it and turned you loose as an assistant coach.
“The difference was Tom delegated and divided it out. He would give you a task and the end goal, and left it up to you. He trusted us. He learned from Frank how to treat players.
“He was a great leader, not only of the staff, but also the players. He had a way to get the best out of every kid with an emphasis on good, positive character.”
Shallenberger had areas where he liked to focus his attention.
“One of the things I enjoyed was watching film and creating a game plan,” he said, “how can we defend them, how can we move the ball on the opponent.”
After high school, Shallenberger played football for two years at the College of DuPage, followed by two years at the University of Evansville.
“College football is totally different from high school where you play with kids you know,” Shallenberger said. “In college, the competition is a lot more intense.
“There are five other linemen who want your job. In high school, everything stops for an injury. In college, you just move the drill to the side.”
One of his coaches at Evansville was John Butler, who later became the general manager of the San Diego Chargers.
“My big goal (at college) was to get a scholarship, and my last year (when he was a starting guard), I got on scholarship,” said Shallenberger, who met his future wife (Carol) at Evansville.
They will celebrate their 39th wedding anniversary this month. The couple has three adult children: Maria, Lyle and Leighton.
Counting his three years as a player, his 11 years as an assistant in football and 16 years as a head coach, Shallenberger has been involved with 198 M-S Bulldog football victories, which is believed to be the most in school history by any one individual.
After student teaching in Indiana, Shallenberger was able to land a job at his alma mater.
During the 1981-82 school year, he was a study hall supervisor. Starting in the fall of 1982, he became a physical education teacher.
He also coached wrestling and track and field (mostly at the junior high school) in addition to football. He gave up all other coaching duties when he took over the varsity football program as the head coach in the fall of 1992.
By nature, Shallenberger was not a demonstrative presence.
“He was not flamboyant or an outgoing personality, but when he did speak, you’d listen,” Stipp said. “You knew it was important and important to him.
“He was a man of few words, but you listened because you wanted to hear what he had to say.”
Shallenberger is pleased by the Hall of Fame honor, but believes it is one that should be shared.
“You have to have good people around you to have success,” he said.
The state championship football team – which still holds the school record for wins in a season with 12 – was a perfect example.
“We had a lot of talented kids who were all good friends,” Shallenberger said, listing names such as Bobby Slade, Rick Sanders, Guy Davis, Corey Haines (the other senior captain), Eric Saylor, Phil Campbell, Mike Bell, Mike DeVore and Rusty Skoog.
“We played well together. We believed in each other and focused game to game. No one cared who got the credit and we won as a team.
“If I had one wish, it would be that Mahomet had teams put in (the Hall of Fame), so the ’77 championship team could be included.”
Following an icon like Dutton – for whom the high school football field is named – could be intimidating. Shallenberger didn’t view it that way.
“I replaced a legend and it’s hard to replace someone like Frank,” Shallenberger said. “A lot of the pressure was self-inflicted.
“I knew Frank wanted me to get the job and the principal (John Harland) agreed.”
Shallenberger said he owes Dutton a debt of gratitude.
“My father and mother (Lyle and Mary) were very supportive when I was a player and coach,” Shallenberger said, “but Frank was a role model for me.
“He helped me when I was in school to become the person I am. He was very important in helping me get to where I am.”
There was no drop-off in production as the football team transitioned from Dutton to Shallenberger.
M-S qualified for the playoffs in Dutton’s final season and then in the first four years under Shallenberger. His tenure ended with playoff berths his final six years at the helm.
Counting his time as a player and as an assistant, Shallenberger has been involved with 18 of the Bulldogs’ 31 playoff teams.
“Tom never tooted his own horn,” Stipp said. “He didn’t emphasize wins and losses.
“He felt if he taught character and coached ‘em up, that will take care of everything.
“He was proud of the type of men he was developing so that when they left the program, they would be good citizens.”
Shallenberger implemented things such as the Scout Team Player of the Year – “which was bigger than all other trophies,” Stipp said – a study table and a senior leadership group. He was also instrumental, along with Dutton and several others, in creating the Blue Dot Society, which recognizes athletes who were four-year football players at M-S.
Shallenberger who served as an administrator at both Fisher and Paxton-Buckley-Loda following his tenure at M-S.
“He was successful at everything he has done,” Stipp said. “He was a great teacher, a great football coach and a great administrator.”
Shallenberger has a plethora of memories. The most prominent ones do not feature results of games.
“I’m so proud of so many kids who have been very successful in life,” he said. “Nothing makes me happier than when I get an email from a kid who appreciates what I did for them.
“The relationships that were built provide memories for a lifetime.”
Shallenberger was enshrined in the Illinois Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2013, the same year that another former M-S coach (Ted Phelps) was inducted. Phelps was the Bulldog freshmen coach in Shallenberger’s first year at M-S as a student in 1975.
Shallenberger paid homage to those who were instrumental in his success with the Bulldogs.
“All of the assistant coaches and players were just as responsible for me getting in as me,” he said. “I thank them for their efforts.”
