Head coach Rick Shepas’ third year at Waynesburg University was his most successful to date. On the field, the Yellow Jackets posted an 8-3 overall mark, their best since Shepas took over, and for the second-straight season, Waynesburg went 5-1 in the PAC. His team’s reward for their success was an invitation to the ECAC Southeast championship game against Dickinson College.
Off the field, senior defensive end Mike Czerwien was honored by a handful of prestigious All-American teams while setting leading the nation in tackles for loss and sacks.
The individual accolades were not limited to the defensive side as freshman running back Robert Heller became the first player in school history to rush for over 2,000 yards as he rewrote the school record books.The first-year phenom was also honored with several all-region and All-American honors.
In only his second year as head coach of the Yellow Jackets, Rick Shepas guided Waynesburg to just one win shy of winning its second conference championship in four years.
After a disappointing start to the 2006 season, Shepas rallied Waynesburg to six wins in the final seven games and a second-place finish in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC). Behind two all-conference running backs, the Yellow Jackets finished second in the league in rushing, while the offensive line ranked among the nation’s best, allowing only six sacks.
During his first three seasons at Waynesburg, Shepas coached a handful of record-setting players. In his first season with the program, he coached Ryan Abels to a then-single-season school record 1,299 rushing yards. Also during that season, receiver Ivan Hawkins set the career receiving yard record at 2,439, while fellow wide receiver Dominick Hunter edged Hawkins for the school record with 179 career receptions.
Shepas was named the 20th head football coach at Waynesburg on May 26, 2005. He brought 16 years of coaching experience to the Yellow Jacket program.
Despite being hired after spring practice, Waynesburg showed promise in Shepas’ initial campaign as head coach. Seven Yellow Jackets garnered all-conference accolades, as the team finished the season with an emotional 41-13 victory over Westminster at John F. Wiley Stadium. Waynesburg played one of the toughest schedules in the conference in 2005, losing to three teams that qualified for post-season play.
Shepas joined the Yellow Jackets after completing a seven-year tenure as head coach at Massillon Washington High School, where he won two-straight regional championships.
While with the Tigers, he posted a 53-28 record, including a 12-2 mark in the 2001 season. In that season, Shepas coached a dynamic passing game headlined by quarterback Justin Zwick, who threw for 3,281 yards and 40 touchdowns and later went on to play quarterback at Ohio State.
The following season, Shepas guided Massillon to the playoffs, losing 21-20 in overtime of the semifinal contest. The rushing attack was pivotal for the Tigers in the 11-win season of 2002 behind single-season school records of 1,355 yards and 23 touchdowns from Ricky Jackson.
In addition to coaching at Massillon, Shepas served as athletics director for the Tigers. Massillon is recognized as one of the most prominent high school athletic programs in the country with their tie to the legendary Paul Brown and the Tigers’ bitter rivalry with Canton McKinley.
Shepas began his coaching career in 1989 at Alliance (Ohio) High School as the secondary and receivers coach. In 1990, he moved on to Poland Seminary (Ohio) High School and served as the defensive coordinator for three seasons. In 1993, he assumed the head coaching duties at Poland and guided the Bulldogs to three-straight conference titles and the school’s first playoff appearance and regional championship.
In 1996, Shepas accepted the head coach position at Seneca Valley High School. In his second season, he coached the Raiders to the WPIAL semifinals and won the Quad A North Conference title after defeating North Allegheny, which was ranked No. 1 in the state.
Success has followed at every stop along his coaching journey. He has coached teams to seven playoff appearances and four league titles, while earning seven coach of the year honors. Shepas also served as a coach in the 1996 Big 33 Football Classic.
Shepas attended Youngstown State University, where he was a four-year member of the football team as a receiver for the Penguins. He finished his career second in school history with 150 career receptions and 2,263 career receiving yards. He was a captain and all-conference receiver on the 1986 Youngstown State team under head coach Jim Tressel, the current head coach at Division I Ohio State University.
Following his time with the Penguins, Shepas attended a mini-camp with the Cleveland Browns and a training camp with the Green Bay Packers in 1987. He later would play for the Pittsburgh Gladiators, an arena football team, in 1988.
Shepas is a native of Youngstown, Ohio, and earned a bachelor’s degree in sports management from Youngstown State in 1987 and added a master’s degree in education in 1991 from
Ashland University.
He has spoken at a number of clinics, including Nike clinics in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. Shepas has also attended clinics hosted by Division I schools, including Kentucky, Michigan State and his alma mater, Youngstown State.
Shepas is a Hall of Fame member at both of his alma maters, Youngstown State (1996) and Cardinal Mooney High School (1998) in Youngstown, Ohio.
He and his wife, Christine, have three daughters, Maria, Katie and Gina.
