Shawn Mennenga returns to college football this season, serving as special teams coordinator. This is his first year on Derek Mason’s Vanderbilt staff.
“Shawn brings NFL experience, including seven years with the Cleveland Browns. He’s bright, he’s organized and he’s a great teacher and can make football really simple and let guys play fast. He’s going to be a great addition to this staff. He’s truly a special teams [coach], he can work with all facets — kickers, punters and snappers. He’s going to be vital to this team as we look to play better on special teams,” Mason said.
Mennenga joins the Commodores from the National Football League where he served the last seven years as a special teams assistant with the Cleveland Browns.
During his NFL tenure, Mennenga and special teams coordinator Chris Tabor helped the Browns’ players set NFL and franchise records. In 2016, punter Britton Colquitt set a team net punting average record with 40.3.
In 2015, kicker Travis Coons set an NFL record with 18 consecutive field goals to start his career and punt returner Travis Benjamin finished third in the league in punt return average (11.6).
In 2014, Mennenga assisted a special teams unit that finished second in the NFL in opposing field position on kickoffs, including 16 stops inside the 20.
In 2013, kicker Billy Cundiff set a franchise record with 62 touchbacks on kickoffs.
In 2012, kicker Phil Dawson and returner Joshua Cribbs were both selected to the Pro Bowl. Dawson’s 93.5 (29 of 31) field goal percentage clip also led the AFC.
Prior to joining the Browns, Mennenga spent the 2009-10 seasons as the linebackers coach at South Dakota State University. In 2009, the Jackrabbits’ defense ranked in the top 20 nationally in four categories, including pass efficiency (4th – 99.55), rushing defense (14th – 104.3 ypg), points per game allowed (16th – 17.4) and total defense (17th – 289.5 ypg).
Before joining South Dakota State’s staff, Mennenga spent four seasons (2005-08) as the defensive coordinator at Fort Hays (Kansas) State University. He spent the previous four years at Culver-Stockton (Mo.) College, where he served one season as the Wildcats’ defensive coordinator (2001) and the final three as the team’s head coach (2002-04).
During his collegiate coaching career, he has also held assistant positions at Hutchinson Community College (defensive coordinator – 1998-2000), Western Kentucky University (outside linebackers – 1997) and Southwest Baptist University (1995-96 – secondary; 1994 – graduate assistant).
Mennenga lettered one season as a defensive back at the University of Missouri in 1992.
A native of Iowa, he and his wife, Christie, have a son, Garrett, and a daughter, Ashley.