Don Shaver, a 1962 graduate of Jackson High School and a 1966 graduate of the University of Chattanooga, was appointed by Lambuth University President Dr. R. Fred Zuker as Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Lambuth University in July 2005. Don earned his M.Ed. from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1967 and completed his coursework for a Ph.D. in Leadership and Higher Education from the University of Mississippi in 2006.
Don was inducted into the UTC Sports Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Jackson Madison County Sports Hall of Fame in 1999. Don was the most valuable football player at UTC in 1964; was co-captain in 1966; won the Dayle Maye award as the senior athlete with the highest scholastic average in 1966; and was a Little All-American quarterback.
Record achievements have occurred at Lambuth University during the two years of Dons leadership including a first ever national championship in womens basketball in 2007. LUs volleyball team has won 20 games for two consecutive years; LUs mens basketball team has been ranked as high as #4 in the nation and has been invited to compete for the NAIA national championship in Kansas City for the past two years.
The LU Hall-of-Fame Center was dedicated in 2006 and is a popular site for donors and supporters of Lambuth athletics.The LU Athletic Center has undergone extensive renovations and is recognized as one of the top facilities in the south.
With acclaimed new coaches including James Parker (women’s & mens tennis); Heather Thauer (women’s & mens swimming); Andy Farmer (women’s & mens golf); John Barlowe (baseball); Shannon Tanner (softball); and Simon Duffy (womens soccer) joining veteran coaches including Vic Wallace (football); Bill Burnside (volleyball); Jimmy Carmichael (women’s & mens cross country); Paul Conway (mens soccer); Kevin Burton (mens basketball) and Joe Reints (womens basketball), LU is truly poised for accomplishment in all sports.