Doug Shanks

Douglas William Shanks (October 25, 1946 - September 4, 2023) was an American college baseball coach. He was a city commissioner of Jackson, Mississippi and was on their city council. He served as the head coach of the Mississippi Valley State Devils (2001–2014).

Early life
Shanks was born on October 25, 1946, in Soso, Mississippi. Shanks was the son of Fred David and Frances (McMillan) Shanks. Shanks graduated from Provine High School in 1964. He then graduated from Liberty University.

Political career
Shanks had wanted to become the mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, since he was a teenager. Before 1977, he served as the Jackson director of public relations. He was the city commissioner of Jackson, Mississippi from 1973 to 1977, under mayor Russell C. Davis. In 1973, he became the first Republican to serve on the Jackson City Council. In 1977 and 1981, as a Republican, he ran for mayor against Democrat Dale Danks, but lost.

Coaching career
In 2001, Shanks became the first white head coach of a major sport at Mississippi Valley State, when he became the head baseball coach there. After 14 seasons at Mississippi Valley State University, Shanks retired from coaching college baseball to become the head coach at Central Hinds Academy.

Book
In 2020, Shanks co-wrote and published a book that details the history of southern Jackson from 1945 to 1965, called One Direction Home.

Personal life
He married Kay Guest in 1975. They had four children together. One son, Fred, is a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from Brandon.