“Coach” Steve Mack Shaver, Sr., 72, of Bevil Oaks, died Friday, March 1, 2013. He was born on May 6, 1940, in Palestine, and had been a longtime resident of the Beaumont area.
He graduated from Bellaire High School, in Houston, Texas, 1958, where he was a prominent athlete in many sports. Steve attended Wharton Junior College and graduated from Sam Houston State Teachers College majoring in physical education and a minor in history. He then went on to receive his master’s degree from McNeese State University in Louisiana. His career as a coach began in 1962 coaching junior high at Little Cypress School in Orange. Coach Shaver would later go on to coach at Del Valle High School, Corpus Christi King High School, French High School, and Central High School.
In 1968, he was named Central Texas “Coach of the Year”. While at Del Valle High School, his team only lost two out of twenty-three games in his last two years of coaching at the school. Nineteen of those games were played in a row without a defeat. While at French High School in 1972, he led the team to the best season in the history of the school. The 1984 football season at French High School would end with a State Championship win, and Coach Shaver being named Texas State 5A Football Coach of the Year. When the doors were closed at FHS in 1986 he then moved over to the newly formed Central High School. The Central High School team was ranked number ten in the nation by U.S.A Today Newspaper while under the direction of Coach Shaver. In his twenty year coaching career, he would bring his schools many district championships and would receive numerous “Coach of the Year” awards. On October 31, 1999, Coach Shaver was inducted into the Sam Houston State University Bearkat Football Hall of Honor.
Along with his talent of coaching, he was also owner of Shaver Defensive Driving School. He also taught drivers education at Westbrook High School from 1989 until 1999.
Survivors include his wife of forty-seven years, Dee Dee Shaver; daughter, Shannon G. Shaver of Humble; sons, Steve M. Shaver, Jr. and his wife, Paulette, of Lumberton and David N. Shaver and his wife, Rachel, of Crosby; grandchildren, Kara and Bryce Shaver; Dawson, Karsyn, and Haleigh Shaver; and Annmarie Riggs; sister, Mazie Petree and her husband, Jack, of Orlando, Florida; and nephew, Daniel Petree of Orlando, Florida.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Mary Louise and Walker Neal Shaver.
A gathering of Coach Shaver’s family and friends will be from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., Monday, March 4, 2013, at Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont. His funeral service will be 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, March 5, 2013, at North End Baptist Church, 5115 Eastex Freeway, Beaumont, with interment to follow at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Beaumont.
As Coach Shaver devoted his life to the well being of both mind and body of his student athletes, the family requests in lieu of flowers, remembrances be sent to The Cody Stephens Go Big or Go Home Memorial Foundation. This a 501c(3) foundation that promotes and provides funding for the use of ECG heart screening with student athletic physicals throughout Texas. Contributions can be made by mailing a donation to: Cody Stephens Memorial Foundation, 12723 Woodforest Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77015 or wiring funds to route # 031100157 account # 1877358060.
