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A Coach Remembered
April 10, 2000 LARAMIE, Wyo. -
by Christine Wiley
Leonard "Fritz" Shurmur had one thing that all of us dream of having - a love for his job. In a recent conversation with Seattle Post writer Clare Farnsworth, Shurmur told of his love affair with the game of football and his job. "I kind of come to work each day with the same excitement I did 46 years ago. My wife says there's something wrong with me. I suppose someday something will tell, or somebody will tell me, it's time to stop." Last May something did tell Shurmur it was time to stop. Shurmur had told friends that he wasn't feeling well and during his annual physical his doctors found cancer, an aggressive form of liver cancer. Doctors immediately started treatment to try and defeat the deadly disease, but the cancer was too far along for treatment to have much effect. Shurmur died on August 30, 1999. He was only 67 years old. During his life, Shurmur had a great impact on many people and many things, most importantly the game of football. Born July 15, 1932, Shurmur began his football career at Albion College in Albion, Michigan. He was a center for the Britons and earned All-Michigan Athletic Association honors and was named the conference's most valuable player. After his graduation from Albion, Shurmur began his master's degree in education administration and started a graduate assistantship with the football team. He was a graduate assistant for two years before he was asked to be an assistant coach. Shurmur stayed at Albion until 1962 when he was asked by head football coach Lloyd Eaton to come to the University of Wyoming as a defensive line coach. Shurmur accepted and moved his small family to Laramie, Wyoming where he began a new chapter in his amazing life. Under Shurmur the Cowboys began producing stats that were among the best. They led the nation in total defense and in rushing defense, becoming the only college team to win as many as two defensive titles during the 1960s. Wyoming was ranked number one in total defense five times during the same decade. Shurmur spent twelve years in Laramie, both as an assistant and then as the head coach of the Cowboys from 1971-1974. From Wyoming, Shurmur began a 24 year coaching career in the National Football League. He coached five NFL teams including, Detroit, New England, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Green Bay. While at Green Bay, Shurmur's defensive effort was key in leading the Packers to a 1996 Super Bowl Championship. As well as being a great coach, Shurmur also had a gift for writing. In the later part of his life he authored four coaching books titled, Coaching Team Defense, Coaching Team Defense: 2nd Ed., Coaching the Defensive Line, and Eagle 5 Linebacker Defense. He also created coaching videos, where he would feature some of America's finest coaches with in-depth discussions and clinics. Shurmur had three children with his wife Peggy, Sally Ann Michalov, Scott Shurmur, and Susie Plumb. His daughter Sally Ann Michalov is an award-winning sports writer for the Casper Star-Tribune, and was named the 1990 Wyoming `Sportswriter of the Year.' Recently, the Cowboy Joe Club has established a memorial scholarship in
Coach Shurmur's name. Anyone interested in donating to the scholarship
can make their checks payable to the University of Wyoming and mail them
to the Cowboy Joe Club at P.O. Box 3414, Laramie, WY 82071.
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