There is no mistaking when Peter Shinnick enters a room. His presence - both physically and audibly - is quite noticeable, which is similar to his impact on Azusa Pacific football.
A large likeable man with a booming voice and a compassionate spirit, Shinnick came to Azusa Pacific in 1999 with the task of leading the Cougars in the defense of their national championship while continuing to build Azusa Pacific into a consistent national power. He met the challenge head on. His first Cougar team won 9 of 12 games, returned to the NAIA playoffs and advanced to the semifinals. He achieved his second goal of consistency as a second-year coach when in 2000 he guided the Cougars to a third straight NAIA postseason appearance - a first in program history.
Shinnick arrived at Azusa Pacific with a lifetime of training for this job. He grew up around the game. His father, Don Shinnick, an All-American linebacker at UCLA, played 13 seasons in the NFL with the Baltimore Colts and then coached with the Oakland Raiders, Chicago Bears, St. Louis Cardinals and the New England Patriots. Three of Peter's 4 brothers played NCAA Division I football - Josh at UCLA, Adam at California and Chris at Hawaii. Peter himself was an offensive lineman at the University of Colorado. And while his family gave him a good football foundation, Shinnick built upon it by playing for Bill McCartney and then assisting some of the most respected college football coaches in the nation - Ken Hatsfield at Arkansas and Clemson, Jerry Pettibone at Oregon State and Dal Shealy at Richmond.
"My father set an example that you can be successful and put God first, family second and your job third," said Shinnick. "His example is why I am in coaching and have the beliefs I do. Having played for Bill McCartney, I saw how a man with passion can lead a team from the conference bottom to the conference championship. And having worked for the likes of Dal Shealy, Ken Hatfield, Jerry Pettibone and Fred Whitmire, I have seen godly men in action be successful by building their programs on the right set of principles."
Shinnick began his coaching career in 1988 as an offensive line coach at the University of Richmond, working Shealy (father of former Azusa Pacific head coach Vic Shealy). He then joined Hatfield's staff as a graduate assistant at Arkansas and followed to Clemson when Hatfield took over the Tiger program.
Pettibone called on Shinnick in 1992 to coordinate Oregon State's recruiting efforts. Two years later Shinnick put together Oregon State's first-ever nationally ranked recruiting class, which was third in the Pac-10 and 19th in the nation. (That class, OSU's 1998 seniors, featured 8 all-stars, the most in Beaver football history). After the NCAA eliminated the recruiting coordinator position, Shinnick moved on to become the offensive line coach at NCAA Division II power Northern Michigan University. In 1995, he began a 3-year stint as the offensive coordinator at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. While there, he coached 3 first-team All-Americans and was responsible for recruiting California junior colleges. In 1998, he returned to his west coast roots to be near his family, joining Whitmire's staff at Humboldt State, where he served as the Lumberjacks' offensive line coach for 1 season.
As a coach, Shinnick is carving a reputation as a man with an upbeat approach who is organized and pays careful attention to detail. His coaching colleagues call him "reliable, consistent, appropriate, innovative and imaginative, capable, loyal, and full of uncompromising integrity." Considered a "player's coach," Shinnick has attracted players from all over the west coast, and has engineered a near 30% increase in the number of players on the Cougar roster. For the second consecutive season more than 100 players will suit up on game day.
Shinnick believes that football should be fun for the players and entertaining for the fans as well, and the fact that his first 3 Cougar teams averaged 30 points a game validates his coaching philosophy. He likes to put the ball in the air, and yet balance has been the key to the Cougars averaging over 421 yards of total offense through 32 games of the Shinnick era.
As a player, Shinnick lettered 2 years as an offensive guard at the University of Colorado, playing in 21 games for the Buffaloes, including the 1985 Freedom Bowl and 1986 Bluebonnet Bowl (CU's first bowl appearances since the 1977 Orange Bowl). He graduated in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in business and later earned a master's degree in guidance and counseling from Clemson.
Shinnick prepped at Hickman High School in Columbia, Mo., when his father was the head coach at Central Methodist College in Fayette, Mo. He earned 2 varsity letters as an offensive tackle.
Peter and his wife of 10 years, Traci, a South Carolina native, reside in Glendora with their 2 daughters, Anna (7) and Rachel (5), and 2 sons, Elijah (2) and Benjamin (born March 2002).
