Shealy was meant for job as KU coordinator

LAWRENCE — The guys have played hard. That's what Vic Shealy keeps telling himself as he prepares for his third game as Kansas' defensive coordinator. There's not much else to say, if you're like Shealy and choose to think positively.

But Shealy will face the negatives, too, and he could go on for hours about them. The Jayhawks are young. They are depleted on the defensive line by injuries. They are learning from their third defensive coordinator in as many years, and there are some days when their bright eyes can't help but gloss over. Shealy tries to understand. Maybe he's giving them too much too fast. But if he doesn't give them enough....

"You become so simple that you get schemed off the field," Shealy says, "and then you're not giving your players a chance to be successful."

After two games, the reality for KU is obvious. The Jayhawks have a youthful and exciting offense that has put up 87 points and a youthful and confused defense that has given up 66 against two non-BCS conference opponents. The only way Kansas accomplishes its goal of playing in a bowl game is if Shealy is able to find a way to get his 11 guys off the field.

This would seem to be an overwhelming amount of pressure for Shealy, a 50-year-old who is in his first coordinator job at a BCS program. Throw in the circumstances of his promotion from cornerbacks coach — veteran defensive coordinator Carl Torbush had to retire in May to fight prostate cancer — and it's easy to wonder just how exactly is Shealy going to fix this thing?

The answer? By doing exactly what his daddy would have done.

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Oh, Barbara Shealy did not want her son to become a coach. No, she told Vic, do something else, blaze your own path.

Thing was, all Vic knew how to do was follow Dal Shealy around. When Dal was the coach at Mars Hill and Carson Newman, both Division II schools in Tennessee, he would take Vic to practice most days. By the time Vic was 9 years old, he was learning how to watch film.

When Vic was in middle school, Dal got the call to the big-time as assistant head coach to Baylor's Grant Teaff. After two years, it was on to Tennessee to be the offensive coordinator. After a season there, Dal took the same position at Auburn. The programs may have been bigger, but Dal still included Vic plenty.

"He was part of the deal," Dal says.

Getting to watch his dad coach in the Southwest Conference and Southeastern Conference was quite the deal for Vic. When the team won, everybody wanted to shake Daddy's hand. When the team lost, Vic would hear about his father's failings in school and in the stands during games.

"I remember sometimes my dad felt more relief after a win than what you'd say excitement," Vic says. "My dad was the single greatest influence in my life, and I saw a guy that showed toughness. I never saw him make excuses. There may be a reason that you're struggling, but you've got to do a better job coaching."

Vic was noticing all of this, but he didn't say anything to his father about the things he was hearing from the outside. To Dal, a coach, you had to have alligator skin, and so he tried to teach his son about having the resolve to stick with your philosophy.

During that time, Vic starred at quarterback for Auburn High and went to Liberty University in Virginia. He won the starting job his freshman year in 1979, but suffered a severe concussion during a game. Vic's playing career was over, but that just meant he could start pursuing his dream a few years early.

Dal Shealy took the head job at Richmond in 1980, and it didn't take long for him to appoint his most loyal aid. Vic transferred to Richmond and spent the next three years as a student assistant. At that point, Mom knew Vic was a lost cause.

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From then on, Vic Shealy tried to take something from every stop.

He coached under the legendary Teaff as a graduate assistant at Baylor. In his only head-coaching job, he took over Azusa Pacific in 1995 and led the NAIA school to the national championship in 1998. He coached the defensive backs at Air Force under the well-respected Fisher DeBerry for seven seasons.

Now, Shealy is facing the biggest challenge of his career, mainly because of the stage. Kansas fans experienced a 12-win season and an Orange Bowl victory just four seasons ago, and they're tired of seeing their defense look inept.

Shealy says he's ready for this. The defense will get better.

Dal Shealy believes it, too. He'll be at the Georgia Tech game on Saturday with Barbara, watching as his son calls the plays just like he did.

"I've never been afraid of a struggle," Vic says. "I've never been afraid of competing and being in a fight. I have a clear understanding of what it takes to be successful on defense, and I'm highly-motivated."

Patterson, Shepherd out — Kansas coach Turner Gill announced that KU wide receivers Daymond Patterson and JaCorey Shepherd will miss Saturday's game against Georgia Tech due to injury.

Patterson (groin) missed last week's game, while Shepherd was hurt against Northern Illinois. Gill said he hoped the Sept. 24 bye week would help the players recover for the Big 12 opener against Texas Tech.

Gill said that starting linebacker Tunde Bakare is listed as probable for the Yellow Jackets and that Richard Johnson Jr. would start at nose tackle in place of John Williams, who is out for the year with a torn ACL.

This story was originally published September 14, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Shealy was meant for job as KU coordinator."