Sam Shade

Samuel Richard Shade (born June 14, 1973) is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach for Alabama A&M University, a position he has held since 2025. He played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) from 1995 to 2002 as a safety for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Washington Redskins. Shade played college football at the University of Alabama and was selected in the fourth round of the 1995 NFL draft.^[1]

Sam Shade

Alabama A&M Bulldogs
Position:	Head coach
Personal information
Born:	(1973-06-14) June 14, 1973 (age 52) Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:	205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school:	Birmingham (AL) Wenonah
College:	Alabama
NFL draft:	1995: 4th round, 102nd pick
Career history
As a player:
Cincinnati Bengals (1995–1998) Washington Redskins (1999–2002)
As a coach:
Briarwood Christian HS (AL) (2004–2008) Volunteer coach Samford (2009–2015) Special teams / defensive passing game coordinator Georgia State (2017) Cornerbacks coach Cleveland Browns (2018) Assistant special teams coach Pinson Valley HS (AL) (2020–2021) Head coach Miles (2022–2024) Head coach Alabama A&M (2025–present) Head coach
Career highlights and awards
National champion (1992) Second-team All-SEC (1994)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles: 528 Sacks: 8.5 Forced fumbles: 3 Fumble recoveries: 9 Interceptions: 10 Defensive touchdowns: 1 Stats at Pro Football Reference
Head coaching record
Regular season:	17–14 (.548)
Postseason:	1–1 (.500)
Career:	18–15 (.545)

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Tackles				Interceptions				Fumbles
		GP	GS	Comb	Solo	Ast	Sck	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	FF	FR	Yds	TD
1995	CIN	16	2	16	14	2	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
1996	CIN	12	0	7	5	2	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
1997	CIN	16	12	96	81	15	4.0	1	21	0	21	1	1	0	0
1998	CIN	16	15	78	60	18	1.0	3	33	0	32	1	2	55	1
1999	WAS	16	16	115	89	26	1.5	2	7	0	7	0	1	0	0
2000	WAS	16	14	98	83	15	1.0	2	15	0	15	0	4	1	0
2001	WAS	16	15	90	76	14	0.0	2	9	0	9	1	1	0	0
2002	WAS	9	3	28	21	7	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
		117	77	528	429	99	8.5	10	85	0	32	3	9	56	1

Playoffs

Year	Team	Games		Tackles				Interceptions				Fumbles
		GP	GS	Comb	Solo	Ast	Sck	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	FF	FR	Yds	TD
1999	WAS	2	2	9	6	3	2.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
		2	2	9	6	3	2.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0

Coaching career

Samford

Shade was the Special teams and defensive passing game coordinator at Samford, where he helped mentor current NFL defensive backs Corey White, Jaquiski Tartt, and James Bradberry.

Georgia State

On December 15, 2016, Shade was added to the staff at Georgia State as the cornerbacks coach.^[2]

Cleveland Browns

On February 7, 2018, it was announced that Shade had joined the Cleveland Browns' as an assistant special teams coach.^[3]

Pinson Valley High School

In February 2020, Pinson Valley High School named Shade as the replacement for Patrick Nix.^[4] In his first year as head coach, he helped bring the team back to a successful 12–2 season, including the state championship.^[5]

Miles

On January 26, 2022, Miles College introduced Shade as the head football coach.^[6]

Alabama A&M

On December 29, 2024, Alabama A&M University hired Shade as the school's 22nd head coach in program history.^[7]

Head coaching record

College

Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs	AFCA#	D2°
Miles Golden Bears (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (2022–2024)
2022	Miles	1–9	1–6	5th (West)
2023	Miles	7–3	6–2	T–2nd
2024	Miles	10–3	8–0	1st	L NCAA Division II Second Round	22	19
Miles:		18–15	15–8
Alabama A&M Bulldogs (Southwestern Athletic Conference) (2025–present)
2025	Alabama A&M	0–0	0–0	(East)
Alabama A&M:		0–0	0–0
Total:		18–15
National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth