SLIPPERY ROCK — Shawn Lutz was born to be in football.

Almost literally.

Slippery Rock University’s associate head coach and defensive coordinator hails from Massillon, Ohio, “where they put a football in the crib of every boy born there.

“They still do that to this day,” Lutz said. “That’s how football-crazed that town is.”

Lutz should know. He’s never quenched his thirst for the sport himself.

He went on to play football for Massillon Jackson High School, then was a three-year letterman and starting tight end for West Virginia University. Lutz played in two bowl games for WVU, including the Sugar Bowl as part of an undefeated Mountaineer team that was ranked as high as No. 3 in the country.

“I love to compete,” Lutz enthused. “When I knew my playing days were about done, I wanted to be a coach. It was the only way I could stay competitive and enjoy football.”

Lutz graduated from WVU with a degree in secondary education in 1996. He played for coach Don Nehlen, who had ties with then-SRU defensive coordinator Joe Kopnisky.

Kopnisky — an all-conference player at WVU in his own right — was looking for a graduate assistant coach and called Nehlen to see if he had any recommendations. The rest is history.

“I came here and never left ... and I don’t plan on leaving,” Lutz said.

While he’s interviewed for head coaching positions elsewhere and believes he’s ready to run his own program, Lutz is more than settled in at The Rock.

Lutz is in his 19th season on the SRU staff. No other current assistant coach has been with the team more than four years.

“Shawn has done just about everything here,” Rock head coach George Mihalik said. “He came on board as a graduate assistant, coached the defensive line, was recruiting coordinator, has been defensive coordinator and is now associate head coach.

“He’s got that associate head coach tag for a reason. He could definitely run the show.”

And while Lutz wants to do so, he’s in no hurry.

“Coach Mihalik has been a mentor to me, a second father,” Lutz said. “The man is a legend and I hope he coaches another 10, 15 years ... whatever he wants.

“I met my wife (Julie) at Slippery Rock. We’re raising our kids in Grove City. There’s a family atmosphere here that I’ve never seen anywhere else and that’s because of George.”

Mihalik is godfather to the Lutz’s oldest son, Logan, a starting wide receiver-defensive back as a freshman at Grove City High School. Logan Lutz is leading the Eagles in scoring this season.

Mihalik often joins the Lutz family in the stands at Grove City games on Friday nights.

“Shawn is more than an assistant coach to me,” Mihalik said. “Our relationship runs much deeper. His father died during Shawn’s second or third year with us and I promised his dad that I would take care of his son ... Shawn feels like a son to me.”

Lutz’s defenses have ranked near the top of the PSAC more often than not. He’s coached eight All-Americans, 21 All-PSAC performers and defenders who own seven school records.

The tag “relentless’ is annually placed on the SRU defense by Lutz himself.

“His big thing is pressuring the quarterback and he always has us playing aggressively,” Butler graduate and Rock linebacker Bob Vernick said. “I love playing for the guy. I would have the same defensive philosophy.”

Defensive end Cody Conway describes Lutz as “always being in that zone.”

“He’s so intense all of the time, so into it,” Conway said. “You can tell how badly he wants to get out there and hit people with us.

“He’s a great coach. I love playing for him.”

Sophomore defensive end Marcus Martin set SRU’s single-season sack record with 16 last season. He says Lutz makes practice much more challenging than it was in high school.

“He’s a perfectionist,” Martin said. “Doing a play well isn’t good enough. He wants perfection.

“Off the field, he’s a great guy. He’s a friend to us and he’ll help us any way we can. On the field, when it’s time to take care of business, he takes care of business. He gets in our face when it’s needed. He’s been in my face ... It’s all part of making you a better player.”

From Day One, SRU has made Lutz a better coach.

“I was fortunate to come here as a graduate assistant,” Lutz admitted. “Go to a Division I school as a grad assistant and you spend most of your time on a computer. Here, they let me coach right away and that immediate experience was invaluable. It made me realize this is what I want to do.

“No other place has felt like the right fit for me. Slippery Rock does. Besides, we win here. Coaches lose their jobs if they don’t win at this level, too.

“I’ve grown up here. I’ve got a wife and three sons here. And I’m doing what I love to do with some great coaches. Dom Razzano (defensive assistant) and Quindell Dean (graduate assistant) played for me here. Now they’re working with me.

“I’d say this thing has turned out pretty good,” Lutz added.

The SRU football community would say the same.