TAMPA, Fla., - Shaun King is, in every sense of the word, Bay Made.

“I have lived in a lot of different places. I would be hard-pressed to say there is anywhere better than Tampa,” said King.

King is the running backs coach at USF. But his football life wasn’t spent as a running back – Shaun King was born a quarterback.

King played for Gibbs High in St. Petersburg in the early 1990’s donning the blue and gold colors that have become synonymous with the Gladiator athletic program.

He and his offensive coordinator Dave Cleppe helped transform the Gladiators into a spread offense.

“It was just awesome and fun to throw the ball around and everybody loved coming and watching because at the time, Pinellas County didn’t throw a lot,” said Cleppe, who named his son Shaun after King; who just so happens to be the godfather to Cleppe’s son.

“We kind of were the first team to really spread the field, make people cover from sideline to sideline,” said King. “You hear a lot of offensive minded coaches talk about getting their best players the ball in space. Well, we were doing that in 1993.”

King would take his talents from the Bay to the Bayou; committing to play college ball at Tulane. In 1998, Shaun’s senior year, he and his teammates delivered the best season in program history.

King led Tulane to an undefeated season and a final ranking of 7th in the nation. There was only one other undefeated team in college football in 1998 –BCS Champion Tennessee.

“That’s the special thing about football when you really get a group of young men to buy into each other and really go out and be selfless in how they prepare and how the compete, then the sky’s the limit,” said King.

Following his collegiate success Shaun would be selected in the 2nd round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the team he idolized as a kid – the Bucs.

“I mean that was a dream come true. I used to sneak out of church when the Bucs played on the road,” said King with a smile and a laugh. “I don’t know if you’ve ever been to the Baptist church. It could get out at one, could get out at three, and those Sunday games started at 1. So I kind of put my hand up and would sneak out the door right at 12:45 so I could get home to watch my Bucs play.”

King’s NFL dreams began in dramatic fashion when he was thrust into the starting role late in the season with playoff hopes on the line against the Minnesota Vikings. What made surreal was that it was Monday night football and one of the legendary broadcasters in sports history was on the call: Al Michaels.

Shaun King, the 22-year-old who grew up across the Bay in St. Petersburg, makes his NFL Debut in, of all places, Monday Night Football in Tampa,” said Michaels to the ABC Monday Night Football Audience.

King said he gets goosebumps just thinking about that moment.

“I’m just truly blessed,” said King. “I really am and I thank God all the time for all of these amazing opportunities. What stands out then was just how much the Bucs connected the community of Tampa Bay.”

King would lead the Bucs to the 2000 NFC Championship against the St. Louis Rams and was part of Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl Championship team in 2002. In retirement King got the appetite to coach, leading to a chance to join USF in 2016 under former Bulls coach Willie Taggart.

“It was exciting because you could help young men,” said King. “That was the reason I decided to come into coaching was to help develop young men.”

After Charlie Strong took over at USF, he turned to King to create a stronghold on recruits from the Bay Area. High school coaches from the surrounding counties have taken notice.

“Coach King does a great job in this area and just making sure that if there are players out there that can fit what they are looking for, they will do their best to get out in front of them and show them what they have to offer,” said Clearwater Central Catholic football coach Chris Harvey.

“Those roots that he has laid over the past couple of years are starting to grow into more of relationships and bonds that I think are going to reap rewards very soon here for USF,” said Armwood football coach Evan Davis.

“I have to give Coach Strong the credit as well because he has allowed me to go into the Bay Area and say that we are committed to keeping the local kids home,” said King. “So the challenge for these young men is to stay home and be great here.”

Be great and be Bay Made.