From Stephenson-Shaw Funeral Home –
Lane Man Willie George “Hawk” Shaw was born on March 29, 1942, in Jackson, Tennessee to Morgan Shaw and Vernell Saunders Shaw and transitioned to his heavenly home on December 23, 2022.
He was a member of Berean Baptist Church. He received his high school education at Merry High School, Jackson, Tennessee (1960); his bachelor’s degree at Lane College (1964), where he graduated Cum Laude; his master’s degree at University of Tennessee, Knoxville Tennessee (1968); his doctorate degree at Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee (1975), and did further study at Memphis State University, Memphis, Tennessee (1973 & 1985).
In 1962, Will was the leading scorer of the National Athletic Inter-Collegiate Association, which covered small college competition. His record as a sophomore was an average of 32.8. He played in a tournament with a cast on his arm and still scored his usual number of points.
As a senior at Lane College, he averaged 40 points per game and had a burning ambition to become a professional basketball player. He played professional basketball for the New York Astronauts in 1965.
He was a member of the 1964 NAIA Olympic Trials Basketball Team, and although Will had comparable skills to many at that time, he was not chosen because he and the school he attended were not well known.
He was inducted into the Jackson-Madison County Sports Hall of Fame in 1991 and was inducted into the Lane College Athletic Hall of Fame on October 7, 2016.
Will started his professional career at Lane College, where he was a full Professor of Health and Physical Education, Director of Institutional Advancement; Head Coach of Basketball, Cross Country, Track, Tennis, Baseball, and Golf; Assistant Football Coach; Activity Director and Administrator of NCAA and National Youth Sports Program (NYSP), and Athletic Director.
He coached Lane College to its first SIAC Championship in 1967-68. Willie George Shaw was he a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha, Fraternity, Incorporated, National Association of Basketball Coaches, Southern Coaches and Officials Association, and the NCAA South Region Tennis Advisory Board.
