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This article was published 9/1/2015 (2079 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TWITTER PHOTO Shawn Coates

The Manitoba sports world has lost one of its pillars. Shawn Coates, the executive director of Football Manitoba and a former CFL executive, died at his home and was found Friday afternoon, the organization said on Friday night.

Coates had been a familiar face around Manitoba sports for over two decades, whether for his work around football or for the images he snapped as an avid sports photojournalist (http://shawncoatesphotography.com/). He worked as a communications director at the University of Winnipeg, spent five years doing the same with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, then moved on to take a job as director of football operations for the entire CFL.

Winnipeggers and the Canadian sports community mourned online. "Coatesy" left countless stories behind, and most of them began and ended in much the same way: Coates reached out to folks when they were new to a place, or just trying to find their way. He made it his business to make everyone a friend.

"I just started a brand new position at Sport Manitoba, and… his office was right alongside mine," Tim Volk said on Friday night. "I immediately felt comfort knowing that a very good friend was right next door. Shawn took the time just this past Tuesday to bring me into his office and introduce me to all his staff. Classic Shawn, trying to make you feel right at home."

On Twitter, former Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice remembered "many late night conversations," including one where he gave LaPolice some helpful pointers about getting to know the coach’s future wife, Tina. Milt Stegall honoured Coates as "a guy who knew it was important to be nice." The Winnipeg Blue Bombers offered condolences from CEO Wade Miller. "He will be missed by all of us," the official Bombers Twitter account said.

Coates had fire in him, too, especially when it came to the teams and players he loved. Sportsnet journalist Arash Madani Tweeted a memory of his own, from a game between the Blue Bombers and the then-Ottawa Renegades in the summer of 2004. "Shawn Coates, after a skirmish in front of Bombers bench, runs onto the field, threatens to fight (then-Renegades LB) Kyries Hebert," Madani wrote. "Classic."

After returning to Winnipeg from his time with the CFL, Coates served as chief operating officer for technology firm Novusoft Solutions and continued to moonlight as a photojournalist. He and his camera were a regular presence at games for the University of Manitoba Bisons and the Winnipeg Goldeyes, and his work was featured in publications including USA Today and the Winnipeg Free Press.

Last year, he accepted the position of executive director at Football Manitoba. But regardless of which title, position or rank he held in his life, one thing never changed: he was always there. If you were looking for him, you could find him by the field, beside the court. He was present in sports as reliably as the sun, always rising to get the job done. It wasn’t just football, either: he was a big supporter of Winnipeg roller derby, wrestling, track and field, the list goes on.

"One of the best faces around IGF and all things University of Manitoba Bisons," Bisons LB DJ Lalama wrote on Instagram. "A true gentleman, artist and selfless leader. The Manitoba football community lost a great man, but smile and legacy will forever live on."

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There is also a story about Coates that is shared by almost everyone in Winnipeg, who was looking to get their start in or around sports media. This is one version, but it was echoed by so many more on Friday night.

In summer 2013, a nervous Free Press reporter walked into the Winnipeg Goldeyes press box for the first time. She was new to the sports beat, knew almost nobody in the park and felt intensely nervous and out of place. That’s when a man with a camera sat down next to her, stretched out his hand, and introduced himself as Shawn Coates. He already knew her by name.

For the next hour, he took her under his wing, offering her advice and encouragement as she prepared to cover her first baseball game. He introduced her to several people around Shaw Park, showed her the ropes, and regaled her with tales from his time working in the CFL head office.

Every time they saw each other after, they’d trade friendly words and bright smiles. She never forgot, and will never forget how much that helped. The last time she saw him was at a press conference in late November, when he was helping to announce Milt Stegall’s new skills camp slated for May, 2015. (http://footballmanitoba.com/milt-stegall-returns-to-winnipeg-to-coach-in-2015/) He was excited about what was in store for Football Manitoba, and reporter and director agreed to talk more in the New Year.

They never got the chance. He was a gracious man to many, and he will be missed.

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca