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McGregor takes over as Red Devils’ coach

Shane McGregor began preparing for a coaching career when he was only 6 years old.

He just didn’t realize it.

“Being around my dad (former college basketball coach Bernie McGregor) as a youngster, I learned from him even before I knew I was learning from him,” McGregor said. “I repeat things now that I heard him say then. He never forced me into it, but he formed the foundation. He taught me the landscape of what it means to play sports.”

The former Penn State quarterback and Central Cambria graduate was officially named the Red Devils’ coach at Monday evening’s school board meeting.

“Shane is just a very positive, high energy guy, and with the right staff around him, which I think we have, there’s going to be a lot of enthusiasm for the program,” Central Cambria athletic director Randy Wilson said. “It’s not about wins and losses, it’s about moving forward. Bill (Corrente) did a great job taking us to the next level. We just felt like it was time for a change.”

McGregor has spent the past four years as an assistant coach on various Central Cambria sports squads, including the football team and boys basketball team. McGregor also was an assistant for the baseball team and junior high track squad the past two seasons.

“It started by chance,” McGregor said. “I was home the first summer after college and ran into a member of the Central Cambria football coaching staff and was invited to a practice. I went out there, it was my first experience coaching, and I found out I liked it. One day became a week, then it became a month and all of a sudden I was on the staff.

“I got my chance to realize my dream of playing Division I football, and Central Cambria helped me do that. I wanted to pay it back by helping the next generation of kids. I went there, and I’m from here. I’ll always have that connection.”

McGregor had success as the Red Devils’ quarterback and had a chance to take on a college scholarship at a lower level school but opted to walk on at Penn State despite the odds of making it onto the field as a quarterback being slim to none.

He worked on his game and learned from Joe Paterno and was at the school when Paterno was fired and Bill O’Brien took over the reigns. During his senior year, he earned a scholarship and scored a rushing touchdown.

“I lucked into playing for the all-time winningest coach in college history,” McGregor said. “I also had a chance to play under Bill O’Brien who did the best crisis management in college football history. Seeing how he ran a program, you can’t put a price tag on that.”

McGregor, a freelance writer and substitute teacher at Central Cambria who is working on his certification to become a full-time teacher, said his coaching goals were formed by O’Brien.

“Winning games is an elusive goal. The goal should never be to just win. We want to play the game well,” McGregor said. “(O’Brien) took the game from just a game to an art form. I was fascinated by it. He had just come from the (New England) Patriots, and he’s teaching us from a tape of Tom Brady, and he was making the game seem fun.

“You think about why you started playing, and it was to have fun. I want to bring that enthusiasm. I want to pay attention to details like (Bill) Belichick and bring the fun like Pete Carroll. I want the passion of (O’Brien). I want people to look back on their time with Central Cambria and be happy with their experience like I do.”

McGregor’s tall task of taking over a team so far into the offseason is lightened by the fact he was on last year’s staff and Corrente had already set up a summer program.

“Coaching is about the Xs and Os, but it’s always the relationships with the players that is the most important,” McGregor said. “The more I can get through to them, the better it’s all going to be. Some of the kids I see almost every single school day being a coach year-round and also being a sub at the school. It really helps ease the communication with the kids.”

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