PASADENA, Calif. -- Willie Shaw spent 14 years as an assistant in the old Pac-8 and Pac-10, including two stints at Stanford in the 1970s and '80s. But he had never made it to the Rose Bowl until Tuesday, when he stood on the sideline and watched his son, David, lead the Cardinal to a 20-14 victory over Wisconsin in the 99th edition of the Granddaddy of Them All. The younger Shaw rarely displays much more emotion than a smile, and that might have been the case again following this seemingly momentous win for his program -- until he caught a glimpse of his dad. Those folks had not been waiting for this moment for nearly long as 68-year-old Willie Shaw. "It was the kind of football I grew up watching," said Shaw. "I'm proud of my guys for playing that kind of football." "We had waited for that interception all game," said Shaw. "We'll go back and try to make sure that next year we play even better," said Shaw. "We have a lot of guys coming back on both sides of the ball, all three phases, and we'll hold ourselves to a higher standard." If all goes to plan, there's a decent chance Willie Shaw will be back on the sideline here next year, and maybe not for the Rose Bowl. The national championship game will be played in Pasadena six days later.

Aside from his father, Willie, a longtime NFL and college assistant, Shaw's favorite coaches were Dallas Cowboys legend Tom Landry and Walsh, who was at the peak of his success with the 49ers. Shaw enrolled at Stanford in 1991 and, because of his acumen, earned the nickname "coach Shaw" -- this, even though Willie Shaw was the team's defensive coordinator. For the next three years, Shaw soaked up every morsel of advice that Walsh dispensed and made mental notes of the way Walsh interacted with and motivated the players. "It was about controlling the room, and he was a master," Shaw said. In Shaw, Walsh saw something of himself: a player of average talent who worked hard, was a willing blocker -- Walsh demanded that his receivers block on running plays -- and had a keen understanding of tactics. "Bill told me one time that my son was the smartest receiver he'd ever coached because you could put him at any position, and he'd come off the field and tell you about all the passing routes and the coverages," Willie Shaw said.

Ivan Maisel talks with Willie Shaw about his history at Stanford and with David Shaw about taking over as head coach at StanfordTags: college football, Stanford, Ivan Maisel, Willie Shaw, David Shaw Ivan Maisel talks with Willie Shaw about his history at Stanford and with David Shaw about taking over as head coach at StanfordTags: college football, Stanford, Ivan Maisel, Willie Shaw, David Shaw Ivan Maisel talks with Willie Shaw about his history at Stanford and with David Shaw about taking over as head coach at StanfordTags: college football, Stanford, Ivan Maisel, Willie Shaw, David Shaw Ivan Maisel talks with Willie Shaw about his history at Stanford and with David Shaw about taking over as head coach at StanfordTags: college football, Stanford, Ivan Maisel, Willie Shaw, David Shaw Stanford athletic director Ted Leland had narrowed the field to two inside candidates: the offensive coordinator, Ron Turner, and the defensive coordinator, Willie Shaw. There sat his sister Tawnya, and his parents, Gay and Willie Shaw. Willie Shaw, even at 67 and nearing a decade in retirement, remains coiled. He is all angles, sharp-edged and as direct in manner and speech as you would expect a former Air Force sergeant to be. [+] Enlarge David and Willie Shaw Willie, left, raised his family at Stanford; David, right, is now doing the same. Willie Shaw served as an assistant coach on 14 teams in a 33-year career almost evenly split between college football and the NFL. On this summer day, he sat in the coaches' meeting room at Stanford. "Late in my career in the NFL," Willie said, "I had this reporter ask me, 'What was your favorite team?' Willie Shaw enlisted in the Air Force out of high school and served in Vietnam. He rose to the rank of sergeant before he enrolled in college. Willie played defensive back at New Mexico and became a junior high school math and science teacher back home in San Diego. He coached, too. Shaw came of age in a profession that didn't quite know what to do with young black assistant coaches. It didn't occur to anyone to hire black coaches until locker rooms began to fill with black players. When Stanford coach Jack Christiansen hired Shaw away from San Diego City College in 1974, Shaw said an unofficial quota system existed. "We all knew how it worked," Willie recalled. As Shaw packed up his office, another young African-American coach bounded up the stairs of the old Stanford athletic building. "My son [David] was 2 years old when we first came here," Willie said. "He asked me when he was in eighth grade: 'How do you get to Stanford?' So we sat down and we talked about it," Willie Shaw said. Willie Shaw recognized defensive talent on the offensive depth chart and coaxed Green into giving him the players. "I had to get John Lynch in here and talk to his dad for three hours because his dad wanted him to be a quarterback," Willie said. "His dad knew I had been in the NFL. He said, 'Can you promise me that my son will be able to play safety in the NFL?' I promised him" -- Willie began to laugh -- "but I didn't know if he could or not. I needed a safety." Willie Shaw benched Lynch after two starts. Lynch, who had signed a minor league baseball contract with the Florida Marlins, thought about ditching the sport. He went on to make nine Pro Bowls before retiring from the NFL in 2008. Lynch, now an NFL analyst for Fox, said he was always angry with Willie. But he couldn't help liking him, too. Yale head coach Tom Williams, who played linebacker on those Stanford teams, recalled how much Willie Shaw expected from his players. Williams and Lynch echoed one another discussing how much football they learned from Willie Shaw. Willie Shaw has remained adamant through the years that he had a handshake deal with Leland and former Stanford president Donald Kennedy on Tuesday, Jan. 14. [+] Enlarge Willie Shaw, David Shaw David Shaw followed his father Willie first to Stanford and then into coaching. "I had lunch with the president on Tuesday," Shaw said. Everybody was pretty excited about Willie. Leland will not publicly discuss the search beyond saying, "Coach Shaw had a great deal of support from the players and would have done a great job. On Wednesday morning, Willie Shaw recalled, "I was supposed to go meet with the athletic director at 9 a.m. in his office. I walked down there at 9 a.m. and he wasn't in his office. I went back up to my office, figured he might be a little late. I came back down 25 minutes later and he still wasn't there. So I knew then." Shaw expressed his anger and disappointment. Willie Shaw also made one of the most gracious comments an unhired candidate has ever made. Willie said. "The guy had won a couple of Super Bowls and had done a great job when he was here before. I didn't think it was much of a choice." The son he left behind did what he always does. He examined the issue from all angles. As a son who might have played for his father, the missed opportunity stung. David and Willie Shaw Willie left Stanford for a career in the NFL, but is by his son's side as he takes the reins. Willie Shaw never came back to college football. He spent the next 11 seasons in the NFL, six of them as either a defensive coordinator or assistant head coach. He played an important role in the NFL's groundbreaking efforts to open its coaching offices to African-Americans. David said that Harbaugh considered bringing Willie Shaw out of retirement but finally decided on someone else. Instead, Harbaugh chose to express his regard for Willie Shaw in a different way. At the top, right next to Green, is a smiling Willie Shaw.

Aside from his father, Willie, a longtime NFL and college assistant, Shaw's favorite coaches were Dallas Cowboys legend Tom Landry and Walsh, who was at the peak of his success with the 49ers. Shaw enrolled at Stanford in 1991 and, because of his acumen, earned the nickname "coach Shaw" -- this, even though Willie Shaw was the team's defensive coordinator. For the next three years, Shaw soaked up every morsel of advice that Walsh dispensed and made mental notes of the way Walsh interacted with and motivated the players. "It was about controlling the room, and he was a master," Shaw said. In Shaw, Walsh saw something of himself: a player of average talent who worked hard, was a willing blocker -- Walsh demanded that his receivers block on running plays -- and had a keen understanding of tactics. "Bill told me one time that my son was the smartest receiver he'd ever coached because you could put him at any position and he'd come off the field and tell you about all the passing routes and the coverages," Willie Shaw said.