Sheldon named new Mandan head coach

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BISMARCK — A former area standout has landed his first heading coach job.

Todd Sheldon, a 40-year-old Regent native, was named Mandan High School’s head football coach on Wednesday after spending the past seven years as the team’s offensive coordinator.

Sheldon replaces Pat O’Brien, who resigned in November following a season in which he was named Class 3A Coach of the Year and led the Braves to a 9-2 season. They lost to Bismarck High in the state semifinals.

“The hard part is expanding on what he has already done, taking some of the things that are already good and making them great,” Sheldon said.

Sheldon was the engineer of one of the state’s most potent offenses last season, a senior-heavy group led by quarterback Devin Coyle, the Class 3A Senior Athlete of the Year, all-state senior receiver Aaron Janz and all-state running back senior Seth Westby.

Sheldon said he learned long ago that offenses can’t be one-dimensional if teams hope to have success in that area. He hopes to continue that philosophy.

“One of the biggest things I point to that have been my source of pride is having teams that haven’t really relied on any one aspect of the game or any one player to carry them, having balance and making it possible for players to make plays,” Sheldon said.

Mandan athletic director Lorell Jungling said he’s excited to have Sheldon become the Braves’ next football coach.

“He is an excellent educator and has shown leadership skills both on and off the field,” Jungling said in a press release. “He has excellent rapport with our students as he builds positive relationships with them. We look forward to coach Sheldon leading our program.”

In his high school days, Sheldon was an all-state quarterback and led New England-Regent-St. Mary’s to the 1988 9-man state championship. He went on to become a starter at the University of Mary. He graduated from there in 1996 and has been employed as a history teacher at Mandan for eight years.

He got into coaching while at U-Mary and spent time as an assistant there and at Oakes High School before coming to Mandan.

“Although I’ve thought that I wanted to be a head coach for some time, it hasn’t been a realistic opportunity until recent when I felt like I’m ready to do those kinds of things,” Sheldon said.

Tags: high school football, sports