Eastipedia: Shawn Hair

Shawn Hair is the head basketball coach and a physical education teacher at Shawnee Mission East. This year will be his 24th as the head coach.

Hair was born in Dayton, Ohio and has two younger brothers: B.J. and Tim. His brothers were two of his best friends growing up. Hair played football, basketball and ran track as a kid, excelling most as a wide receiver and free safety in football. When Hair was 11 and 12, he enjoyed working with the Kansas City Kings professional basketball team as a statistician.

As a teenager, Hair attended Rockhurst High School where he played on the football team and in 1981 helped the team win the state championship. One of Hair’s coaches, Steve Howard, inspired him to become a coach.

“[Howard] is just a great guy. He’s a great leader of men, and a great example for kids,” said Hair.

Hair knew he wanted to be a coach as early as high school because he loved coaching his younger brother’s junior high basketball team. After high school, Hair went to Southwest Missouri State for his undergraduate and masters degrees.

Hair met his current wife, Jennifer, in 2006 when SM East’s basketball team placed second in state. Jennifer was the cheer sponsor during this time and Hair got to know her when the basketball team and the cheerleaders traveled for away games. Shawn and Jennifer currently have three kids; two boys from Shawn’s first marriage and a girl from their current marriage. Hair describes himself as a “family man”; some of his favorite memories with his kids include trips to Colorado and the beach.

“It’s a great time where kids get to be kids, [and] adults get to be kids,” said Hair.

In his free time today, Hair enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf and going to sporting events. His favorite sports team is the Kansas Jayhawks basketball team and he looks up to their head coach, Bill Self.

“It doesn’t matter [who he is interacting with] he treats everyone the same; very respectful, very midwest-like, very personable,” said Hair. “He’s one of the classiest guys around.”