Steve Shankweiler - Football Coach - East Carolina University Athletics

Steve Shankweiler

Title:
Staff Assistant
Email:
shankweilers18@ecu.edu
Phone:
(252) 737-4570

Steve Shankweiler is in his 44th year at the Division I level and 23rd overall at East Carolina University where he serves as the Director of High School & Alumni Relations and the Special Assistant to Head Coach Blake Harrell.

In his current role as the director of high school and alumni relations, he serves as the liaison with North Carolina high school’s and ECU staff, while also coordinating the walk-on program as well as camps and clinics. As the special assistant to Harrell, he helps with the day-to-day ins and outs of the program.

Shankweiler, who has 49 years of collegiate coaching, officially transitioned from the coach ranks to a support staff role at ECU on April 1, 2023, when he was named the director of high school and alumni relations. Prior to the start of spring ball in 2025, Shankweiler added the title of special assistant to the head coach.

In 2022, he completed his 19th year at ECU helping the Pirates to a 53-29 win over Coastal Carolina in the 2022 TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl. During his four stints with the program (1987-91, 1998-02 and 2005-09, 2018-present) he has been a part of 10 bowl games and five wins including the Peach Bowl title in 1991 which resulted in a No. 9 final ranking.

Since returning to ECU in December of 2018, he has mentored an offensive line group that paved the way for 2,218 yards in 2022 – the program’s highest total since 2007 (second most since 2000) and provided running lanes for Keaton Mitchell’s second straight 1,000-yard season with his 1,452 ground yards which were the most by a Pirate since Scott Harley’s 1,745 yards in 1996. The Pirates averaged 170.6 rushing yards per game, while the line protected Holton Ahlers who had a career year after passing for 3,708 yards with 28 touchdowns. His line unit played a key role in producing 79 “big plays” (20-plus yards), the second-highest single-season total in program history (93/2014).

In 2021, he developed a cohesive line that enabled ECU to rack up 1,949 rushing yards - the program’s fifth-highest total since 2000 (and most since 2014) after directing a unit that played a key role for a 2020 squad that averaged 173.8 ground yards per game, the Pirates’ highest clip since 2007, despite utilizing five first-time starters throughout the shortened season. In all, he aided an offense that eclipsed the 400-yard total mark 27 times, which included 12 games of 500-plus and two 600-plus performances.

Shankweiler’s coaching career includes collegiate stops at James Madison (2018), NC State (2017), FIU (2013-16), South Florida (2010-12), South Carolina (2004), Cincinnati (2003), Georgia Tech (1992-94), Western Kentucky (1984-86) and The Citadel (1980-83). He has also spent time as a high school head coach in the state of Georgia – Redan (1976-79, state championship), Glynn Academy (1995) and Griffin (1996-97).

He was inducted into the Redan High School Athletic Hall of Fame on Jan. 25, 2020. Shankweiler was a six-time football and track letterman at Davidson, who was also an All-Southern Conference selection and team captain (track) as a senior.

Shankweiler earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Davidson in 1974 before following with a master’s in physical education & education administration from Georgia State in 1980. He and wife Patti have two daughters, Lori and Jennifer, and a son, Kort (a former ECU).