By Michael Kinney
After a run of success at Southmoore High, Shanon Atkinson thought may have been time to make a move. But the veteran track and field coach knew it would take something pretty special for him and his family to pull up states from they had built with the SaberCats.
Luckily for Mustang High, they seemed to have exactly what Atkinson was looking for. After a two-year courtship, according to MHS athletic director Robert Foreman, Atkinson was introduced last week as the Broncos’ new Program Coordinator of Track and Field.
“I think really it was probably Coach Foreman and Coach (Bryan) Oliver. It’s funny because it’s like being an athlete all over again,” Atkinson said. “Because you kind of get recruited in a sense. But they didn’t put any major pressure on me. They just showed me what they had to offer and the facilities. I’m still amazed, honestly by this community. It’s just strange. I didn’t think places like this still existed.”
Atkinson was previously at Southmoore High where he was the head coach for the girls and boys track teams since 2013. While with the SaberCats’ Atkinson was named the Central Oklahoma Athletic Conference coach of the year and produced 23 state champions.
Atkinson grew up in the Southwest Oklahoma region where he was a three-time state champion at Duncan High. He went on to become an all-American sprinter at the University of Oklahoma.
Atkinson is married to Jennifer Atkinson, who had her own impressive track career. They have two daughters, Jada and Jordan.
Watching his family grow alongside the athletes at Southmoore made the decision a tough one for Atkinson.
“You see a lot of seniors, a lot of classes go through at Southmoore. So it’s at a point that it’s never a good time to leave. But when do I finally tell a freshman class, I’m not going to see them through,” Atkinson said. “That was tough. But I have to do what’s best for my family. I have got to make this move when the time is right. And I felt like the time was right.”
Program Coordinator of Track and Field was a position Mustang created specifically for Atkinson. He didn’t even know what it encompassed when he was first approached about the job.
“When that was offered to me, the first question I asked was, am I still able to coach? And they were like, well, that’s up to you,” Atkinson said. “This old boy still got some time left in him. I’ll still be coaching, I’m still going to coach the sprints. So that’s never going to stop. But it is structured differently because I’ll have like two associate head coaches and then each one of those associates will have three assistant coaches. how it’s structured. They’re doing it right here.”
While some of his coaching duties may be spread out to his staff, Atkinson will be setting the tone for the program going forward. That means setting a foundation of hard work.
“I got the chance to meet a couple of athletes. The workload is going to be different,” Atkinson said. “ I can tell them that they’re going to get coached. The workload is about to change. So if they are not built differently and built for this sport, then this may not be the sport for them because the workload is going to change. They’re going to work, man. They’re going to grind. That’s the only way you’re going to be successful.”
Atkinson will have a prime example of what his coaching style can do on the roster. His younger daughter, Jordan, is the defending 6A state champion in the 100-meter dash. The sophomore is transferring to Mustang High as well.
Jada Atkinson also won several state titles at Southmoore and is currently running for the University of Oklahoma.
Along with making the track program a consistent title contender, Atkinson wants to work closely with the other sports at MHS. That is especially true for football, where he believes the two sports go hand in hand.
“Alot of guys that aren’t familiar with it don’t understand what it’s like to compete in Texas or California and Florida,” Atkinson said. “Down there if they’re playing football, they run track. If they’re running a track, they’re playing football.”
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