Robert Shaw was a graduate of Magnolia High School in Mississippi and Mississippi State University. In high school Shaw played football , basketball and baseball and ran track. He was an assistant coach at Mobile County High school in Grand Bay, Alabama for several seasons before coming over to Murphy High School in the same position for seven years. In 1969 he accepted the head coaching position at Murphy. He remained in his duties as the head coach for 13 seasons with a record of 111-34-2 and ten playoff appearances. His teams also won four area championships. His 1976 team reached the state championship game only to lose to a great Mountain Brook team 52-26 which was led by Alabama great Major Ogilvie. He was the county coach of the year nine straight years and coached in the Alabama North-South All-Star game twice. Shaw never had a losing season in 13 years as head football coach at Murphy High School. After leaving the coaching ranks in 1982, he served as assistant principal of Mary Montgomery High School and principal of Pillans Middle School. He retired from his post as athletic director for the Mobile County Board of Education after 32 years in education. He was inducted into the Alabama High School Athletic Associations Hall of Fame in 1999. | 
