# Pete Shinnick

Pete Shinnick (born May 15, 1965) is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at the Towson University in Towson, Maryland. As the head coach of West Florida, Shinnick won the school's first football national championship in 2019. The football team began play in 2016. 2017 was a big year for Shinnick, as he led the University of West Florida Argonauts to the NCAA Division II playoffs, making them the fastest team to do so (two years). He broke the record he held at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, that being three years. Shinnick also won the 2017 AFCA Region 2 Coach of the Year. He later won the 2017 AFCA Division II Coach of the Year. On December 21, 2019, Shinnick won the NCAA D-II National Championship with the UWF Argos in just the program's 4th year of existence.
Shinnick previously served as the head football at Azusa Pacific University from 1999 and 2005 and at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke from the program's inception until 2014. After leading Azusa Pacific to an overall record of 53–22, Shinnick was hired as UNC Pembroke's first head coach on December 13, 2005. Over seven seasons at Pembroke, Shinnick compiled an overall record of 50–24.

## Coaching career
### Azusa Pacific

Shinnick was the eighth head football coach at Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, California and he held that position for seven seasons, from 1999 until 2005, compiling a record of 53–22.

### UNC Pembroke

In 2005, Shinnick was named the head coach at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke Braves, the first football coach at the school since the school discontinued the program in the 1950s.

### West Florida

On January 31, 2014, the University of West Florida announced it had hired Shinnick as the head coach of its newly established football team, which began play in 2016. On November 12, 2017, the Argos had made the playoffs in only the second season, making them the fastest team in NCAA history to do so. They also went to the NCAA D-II National Championship game the same year, breaking another record. On December 21, 2019, Shinnick won the NCAA D-II National Championship with the UWF Argos in just the program's 4th year of existence.

### Towson

On December 11, 2022, Shinnick was hired to become the head football coach at Towson University.

## Personal life

Shinnick has four children. His father, Don Shinnick, played linebacker for the Baltimore Colts for 13 seasons.

## Head coaching record

| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | NAIA/AFCA$^#$ |
| Azusa Pacific Cougars (NAIA independent) (1999–2005) |||||||
| 1999 | Azusa Pacific | 9–3 | | | L NAIA Semifinal | 7 |
| 2000 | Azusa Pacific | 6–4 | | | L NAIA First Round | 16 |
| 2001 | Azusa Pacific | 4–5 | | | | |
| 2002 | Azusa Pacific | 9–1 | | | | 16 |
| 2003 | Azusa Pacific | 8–2 | | | L NAIA First Round | 13 |
| 2004 | Azusa Pacific | 11–3 | | | L NAIA Semifinal | 4 |
| 2005 | Azusa Pacific | 6–4 | | | L NAIA First Round | 12 |
| Azusa Pacific: | Azusa Pacific: | 53–22 | | | | |
| UNC Pembroke (NCAA Division II independent) (2007–2013) |||||||
| 2007 | UNC Pembroke | 4–7 | | | | |
| 2008 | UNC Pembroke | 9–1 | | | | |
| 2009 | UNC Pembroke | 9–2 | | | L NCAA Division II First Round | 20 |
| 2010 | UNC Pembroke | 5–5 | | | | |
| 2011 | UNC Pembroke | 8–3 | | | | |
| 2012 | UNC Pembroke | 6–4 | | | | |
| 2013 | UNC Pembroke | 9–2 | | | L NCAA Division II Second Round | 15 |
| UNC Pembroke: | UNC Pembroke: | 50–24 | | | | |
| West Florida Argonauts (Gulf South Conference) (2016–2022) |||||||
| 2016 | West Florida | 5–6 | 3–5 | 6th | | |
| 2017 | West Florida | 11–4 | 5–3 | 4th | L NCAA Division II Championship | 2 |
| 2018 | West Florida | 6–5 | 4–4 | 5th | | |
| 2019 | West Florida | 13–2 | 7–1 | 2nd | W NCAA Division II Championship | 1 |
| 2020–21 | No team—COVID-19 | | | | | |
| 2021 | West Florida | 9–2 | 6–1 | T–1st | L NCAA Division II First Round | 12 |
| 2022 | West Florida | 12–2 | 6–1 | T–1st | L NCAA Division II Semifinal | 4 |
| West Florida: | West Florida: | 56–21 | 31–15 | | | |
| Towson Tigers (Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference) (2023–present) |||||||
| 2023 | Towson | 5–6 | 4–4 | T–6th | |
| 2024 | Towson | 7–5 | 5–3 | T–6th | |
| Towson: | Towson: | 12–11 | 9–7 | | | |
| Total: | Total: | 171–78 | | | | |
| National championship  Conference title  Conference division title or championship game berth |||||||