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Doug Shanks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Douglas William Shanks[1][2][3][4] (October 25, 1946 – September 4, 2023) was an American college baseball coach. He was a city commissioner of Jackson, Mississippi and was on their city council.[5][6] He served as the head coach of the Mississippi Valley State Devils (2001–2014).
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Early life
Shanks was born on October 25, 1946, in Soso, Mississippi.[7] Shanks was the son of Fred David and Frances (McMillan) Shanks.[2][8] Shanks graduated from Provine High School in 1964.[5] He then graduated from Liberty University.[7]
Political career
Shanks had wanted to become the mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, since he was a teenager.[9] Before 1977, he served as the Jackson director of public relations.[10] He was the city commissioner of Jackson, Mississippi from 1973 to 1977, under mayor Russell C. Davis.[5][11] In 1973, he became the first Republican to serve on the Jackson City Council.[11] In 1977 and 1981, as a Republican, he ran for mayor against Democrat Dale Danks, but lost.[2][5]
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Coaching career
In 2001, Shanks became the first white head coach of a major sport at Mississippi Valley State, when he became the head baseball coach there.[12] After 14 seasons at Mississippi Valley State University, Shanks retired from coaching college baseball to become the head coach at Central Hinds Academy.[13]
Book
In 2020, Shanks co-wrote and published a book that details the history of southern Jackson from 1945 to 1965, called One Direction Home.[14]
Personal life
He married Kay Guest in 1975.[2] They had four children together.[7] One son, Fred, is a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from Brandon.[15]
Head coaching record
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References
External links
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