Manatee County icon, longtime coach makes history on 100th birthday as park renamed
To honor a community and civil rights icon’s 100th birthday, Manatee County rallied around coach Eddie Shannon for a celebration that cemented his legacy in the history books.
Starting Saturday, Shannon’s friends, students and former players drove past his Palmetto home as part of a drive-by parade, sending along flowers, fruit baskets and balloons. Born in 1922, Shannon celebrated his 100th birthday on Monday.
In preparation for the parade, more than a dozen cars, outfitted with blue ribbons and birthday signs, lined up outside of Lincoln Memorial Middle School. Among them were Palmetto Mayor Shirley Groover Bryant, County Commissioner Reggie Bellamy and Moody Johnson, who played football under Shannon in the 1960s.
“He was only 5 feet 7 inches (at the time) but he was a giant to us,” Johnson said. “He would always tell us to put God first, behave and do what our parents told us and keep on going.”
Surrounded by family and friends, Shannon sat in the shade outside his home Saturday to take it all in. He smiled and waved as the community gathered to honor his accomplishments and local impact.
The celebration continued Tuesday with a move that ensures Shannon’s name won’t soon be forgotten. The Manatee Board of County Commissioners officially announced they will rename Lincoln Park, 501 17th St. E., Palmetto, for Coach Eddie Shannon Park.
“One thing that I was raised on was giving an individual their flowers while they’re still here,” Bellamy told his fellow county commissioners during a public meeting Tuesday morning.
The board also voted unanimously to designate March 8, 2022, as Coach Eddie Shannon Day in Manatee County.
Shannon, a native of Manatee County, was the quarterback at Memorial High during the 1940s and was the school’s first athletic trainer in the 1950s. He served in the U.S. Army during WWII and played football at Florida A&M University, where he pledged Omega Psi Phi and has been a part of the fraternity for 80 years.
He later returned to his hometown of Palmetto to become head coach of the Lincoln Memorial High School football team and later coached at Manatee High in the 1960s during the desegregation era.
A proven leader on the field, Shannon’s larger impact may have been in the hallways. Bellamy described the longtime coach as a key figure in calming race relations when Manatee High became integrated.
“He became the unofficial peacemaker during the turbulence that shook Manatee High during the first year of integration by promoting peace and harmony during strained times,” said Bellamy.
“I remember you going around in short white shorts and a baseball hat, going around and trying to get everyone calm,” said County Commissioner Carol Whitmore, who attended Manatee High during integration. “I just want to thank you and bless you at 100 years old.”
Shannon lived up to his title as a hero and a role model in his home life too, according to his child, who didn’t mind sharing her father with her less fortunate neighbors.
“If a child told my dad that he didn’t have pants, he would go to Sears and pick up pants for those children. He fed kids, and even whose parents worked ‘the seasons’ would stay with us,’ said Gail Woody, Shannon’s daughter.
Leading up to his centennial, Shannon has received hundreds of birthday wishes on the Manatee Alumni Facebook page. Stacks of birthday cards have been delivered daily. The handwritten memories and sentiments have filled his dining room table and buffet furniture.
This story was originally published March 9, 2022 at 5:50 AM.
