UCF assistant coach Shawn Clark dies at 50

UCF Knights assistant coach Shawn Clark died Monday at the age of 50, nearly two weeks after suffering a medical emergency.

Clark, UCF’s offensive line coach, unexpectedly passed away on Sunday evening, the school said in a statement. He had suffered an unspecified medical emergency on Sept. 9 and had been hospitalized since then. He is survived by his wife, Jonelle, and their two children, Giana and Braxton.

Clark is a former head coach at Appalachian State, his alma mater. He went 40-24 in five-plus seasons at the school and went 3-1 in four bowl games. He was fired last December after a 5-6 season in 2024. He memorably led the school to an upset road win over a top-10 Texas A&M team in 2022, and gave a memorable and emotional interview after that game.

In addition to his head coaching stint, Clark was also a two-time All-American while playing for Appalachian State and had a highly successful career coaching offensive linemen. That included roles at Purdue and Eastern Kentucky and saw him coach multiple NFL draft picks.

Clark received numerous warm tributes on social media following his death from people who interacted with or worked with him. That included members of the media and fellow coaches.