A coach with an impact: Kevin Sheehan steps down after 34 years at Blessed Sacrament

Kevin Sheehan still has fond memories of his childhood days walking to school at Blessed Sacrament from his home on Washington Avenue in Savannah.

Sheehan went on to become a staple as a coach at his alma mater over the last 34 years. A graduate of Benedictine's Class of 1981, Sheehan recently stepped down from his role at Blessed Sacrament after touching the lives of countless students, athletes and parents along the way.

Sheehan didn't play sports in his days at BC, but got his first coaching job leading the freshman basketball team in his senior year as a Cadet as legendary Benedictine coach Tommy Cannon gave him his first opportunity to work with student athletes.

"I'm still close friends with Tommy and he had a huge influence on me as a coach," Sheehan said. "He thought the biggest responsibility as a coach was teaching the fundamentals of the game. You can't learn anything without having that foundation, and it's especially important today when kids watch basketball games on TV and think if they can score 30 points, they don't need to play any defense."

Sheehan, 61, did it all at Blessed Sacrament — coaching boys and girls basketball, football and baseball over the last 34 years.

"I loved it because you get to teach not just the skills of the game, but how important hard work and sportsmanship are. Those lessons from sports cross over into life where you always need to give your best effort to be successful," Sheehan said.

Sheehan has followed the careers of his former players as they went on to high school — with many becoming standouts at Benedictine and St. Vincent's. He's been to weddings of his former players and even coached the sons and daughter of his previous players.

Kacie Campbell got introduced to basketball by Sheehan, and went on to become a Pre-K teacher at Blessed Sacrament. Her son, Gabe, who will be a freshman at Benedictine next fall, followed in his mother's footsteps to play basketball for Sheehan.

"I played basketball, or attempted to, for Coach Sheehan and even though I wasn't very athletic — I'll always remember how he taught me to love the game," Campbell said. "I remember our team was full of girls who were more interested in chit-chatting than basketball, but he taught us how to play and become a team. Things seem to come full circle at Blessed Sacrament, and I teach there now and Coach Sheehan helped my son fall in love with basketball.

"Coach Sheehan has brought so much happiness and joy to Blessed Sacrament — he's always encouraged the kids to reach their full potential in sports and as people. We're going to miss him as a coach."

Those kind of connections are what Sheehan said he will miss most about coaching.

"The hardest part about stepping down was that I still love sports and teaching the kids about them," said Sheehan, who said his teams won eight or nine SPAL titles during his tenure. "Those seasons start to blend together, but the best thing about coaching is the relationships you develop along the way. It's great to watch them through high school and beyond and think that they'll always be my kids."

One of the players that Sheehan developed a close bond with is Travis Blackshear, who went on to a standout football career at Benedictine and then as a defensive back at Furman. Blackshear was recently invited to attend a rookie mini-camp with the Buffalo Bills set for May 10th and 11th.

"I remember him as that coach who was always going to push you to be your best," said Blackshear, who played football and basketball for Sheehan at Blessed Sacrament. "He would be on your behind to always do the right thing, but you always knew that he loved you. It was a blessing to play for Coach Sheehan because you knew that he loved what he was doing, and he loved and supported his players. You don't find too many people like that in this world, and I wouldn't be where I am today without him. He helped shape my life."

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: A coach with an impact: Kevin Sheehan steps down after 34 years at Blessed Sacrament