Liberty, Mo. (June 6, 2025) — On a beautiful June evening at Liberty High School’s stadium, surrounded by former players, coaching colleagues, and generations of family, Coach Sam Shouse of Excelsior Springs stood humbly at midfield, accepting his induction into the Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. The moment came during halftime of the annual Kansas vs. Missouri All-Star High School Football Game, and for those who know Shouse, it wasn’t just about football; it was about family, legacy, and the love of teaching young men how to grow through the game.
Now in his 80s, Shouse may have long since retired from classroom lectures and Friday night coaching calls, but his impact is as alive as ever.
Shouse’s journey in football began long before stadium lights and state titles. A 1960 graduate of Excelsior Springs High School, Shouse went on to earn his teaching degree from what is now the University of Central Missouri, graduating in 1965. He spent his early years coaching in Seymour, Iowa, part of a two-man coaching staff in a small town where they coached everything. “Friday night we’d be on the football field and Monday we’d be on the basketball court,” Shouse chuckled.
In 1969, he returned home to Excelsior Springs, where he would spend the next four decades coaching generations of young athletes, first as an assistant, later as defensive coordinator, and always as a steady, trusted presence on the sidelines.
Career Highlights
- 1965 – Graduated from Central Missouri State College
- 1965–1969 – Began coaching career in Seymour, Iowa
- 1970–2009 – Assistant and defensive coach at Excelsior Springs High School
- 1994 & 1996 – Part of Excelsior Springs’ Missouri State Championship teams
- 2008 – Named Dave Bassore Assistant Coach of the Year
- 2010–2021 – Linebackers Coach at Lee’s Summit West
- 2010 & 2013 – Helped LSW to two more state championships
- 2012 – ESPN High School Football Kickoff game
- Coached in the Missouri East-West All-Star Game & GKC FCA All-Star Game
- Member of the Excelsior Springs Athletic Hall of Fame
“I always wanted to coach at home,” Shouse said. “I was lucky. I got to coach under Coach Bonnuchi and later with some of the best coaches and players I’ve ever known.”
For those who’ve worked alongside him, it wasn’t just his football IQ that stood out; it was the way he connected with others.
“Sam has the ability to reach and connect with any player, especially players who may be dealing with additional challenges on or off the field,” said Jeff Driskill, who coached with Shouse at Lee’s Summit West. “He makes them feel seen, he listens to them, and he enables them to focus and enjoy playing the game… regardless of anything else going on in their lives.”
Coach Joel “Ski” Staponski called Shouse the kind of coach “we all hope to be — the kind who leads with heart, sees the good even in tough losses, and never gives up on a kid, no matter how difficult they might be.”
Gregg Williams, now a professional defensive coordinator in the UFL and formerly of the NFL, still credits Shouse with launching his coaching career. “I’m very proud of Coach Shouse. He’s a great mentor of mine. He’s a big reason why I went into coaching,” Williams said. “From junior high, through every level of my career, I’ve always looked up to him.”
Another longtime colleague, Vinny Careswell, described Shouse as both a mentor and a father figure.
“He was the defensive coordinator for Excelsior Springs for their two state championships,” Careswell said. “I started coaching there in 1997, right after that second title. When I became a coach at Lee’s Summit West, I ran his defense… we won a state title in 2007 with that system. It was all his knowledge that made it happen. In 2010, we hired him as our linebackers coach. We won state that year, and again in 2013. He taught me everything about defensive football. He’s really my second dad.”
And Shouse was known for his sense of humor, too. “Sam had a knack for finding cookies at away games,” joked Staponski. “Whether it was from the opposing team’s tailgate spread or the snacks set aside for their press box workers. We would be unloading the trailer and setting up for the game, and Sam would be eating cookies on the sideline.”
Coach Staponski summed up the magic of Shouse’s coaching philosophy: “He never gave up on a kid, even the ones that everyone else did. He led with heart and taught us all to see the good, even in tough losses.”
In total, Shouse was a key part of five state championship teams, two at Excelsior Springs and three at Lee’s Summit West. He coached through losing streaks and championship seasons. He even took part in a nationally televised ESPN High School Kickoff game between Lee’s Summit West and Staley, a rematch that Lee’s Summit West won, following a dramatic 76–70, four-overtime semifinal loss the previous season.
When asked about what kept him coaching into his later years, he was quick to credit the players. “I always had good kids. They worked hard. And I think I worked hard, too. I enjoyed every year of it.”
Shouse still lives in Excelsior Springs today. He reflected warmly on his childhood, growing up near Benton Avenue, working at his father’s mineral water bath house on Spring Street, and taking walks around the lively downtown of the 1950s.
“There was a lot to do. I liked to walk around and people-watch. We had a bowling alley, two movie theaters, swimming pools… and I had great teachers,” he said. “I modeled my teaching after my high school history teacher. Excelsior’s always been good to me.”
After the ceremony, a crowd gathered around him; former athletes, now fathers themselves, coaches he’d mentored, friends from the East End, and family members who’d seen the years behind the accolades. They shared old stories, relived big plays, and reminded each other that while wins fade, the people, and the coach who believed in them, never do.
Through more than five decades on the sidelines, Sam Shouse has seen it all. He’s coached under legends, mentored future pros, and led Excelsior through its most historic football moments. But his proudest accomplishments still live off the field.
“I always said if I could still see and hear, I’d still be coaching,” he chuckled. “But I’ve had my turn. Now I just get to enjoy watching these kids and the game from the stands.”
And so, under the Friday night lights, as the stadium crowd roared and Sam Shouse’s name echoed across the field one more time, Excelsior Springs stood a little taller. Because when a coach like Sam gets honored, so does the community he’s always called home.
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