David Shaw replaces Jim Harbaugh at Stanford

(01-13) 19:29 PST -- When he was 3, David Shaw wandered around the football practices at Stanford, where his father was an assistant coach.

When he was a senior wide receiver at Stanford, the younger players called him "Coach Shaw" because he knew so much about the technical aspects of the game.

On Thursday, he was named Stanford's head coach after four years as the offensive coordinator in what athletic director Bob Bowlsby called "the most logical step we can take."

Bowlsby said Shaw's Stanford background helped him in two ways. First, he was vitally immersed in the university's combination of academic and athletic excellence. Second, he wouldn't be inclined to leave if the NFL or better paying schools beckoned.

"Stanford is a place where you really have to embrace what the place is about," Bowlsby said. As for Shaw's willingness to stay put if he wins, Bowlsby said, "Longevity is paramount."

Shaw, 38, who signed a four-year contract, said, "I went into the interview process with the mind-set that I wanted this to be my last coaching interview - ever. That's my goal."

He said he hoped to coach as long as women's basketball coach Tara VanDerveer, who's in her 25th year, and director of tennis Dick Gould, who's been at Stanford since 1966.

After Jim Harbaugh left a week ago to take over the 49ers, Bowlsby interviewed three other members of the staff, assistant head coach Greg Roman, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and special-teams coach Brian Polian.

Neither Roman nor Fangio is expected to remain on the staff, and both may join Harbaugh with the 49ers. Fangio said he is considering jobs with the 49ers and Cowboys. Most of the rest of the staff is expected to remain, although Shaw wouldn't discuss his assistants Thursday.

Bowlsby said he had "long conversations with three outside candidates and shorter conversations with another four or five." Among the first group, according to reports, were Boise State coach Chris Petersen and Yale coach Tom Williams, a former Stanford player.

Conversations with the current players led him to believe that an internal hire would be preferable, Bowlsby said. They were "apprehensive" of an outside hire, he said. Among the current coaches, he decided, Shaw was "the perfect fit."

Unlike most rookie college head coaches, Shaw will start with a loaded roster, including many of the stars of the Orange Bowl victory over Virginia Tech. That includes quarterback Andrew Luck, who recently decided to return for his junior year and will be one of the favorites for the 2011 Heisman Trophy.

Asked if it would bother him to enter the season with sky-high expectations, including a probable top-five or top-10 preseason ranking, Shaw said, "Not one bit." He said preseason polls "are not worth what they're printed on. ... It's what you accomplish."

Luck said he was glad the playbook wouldn't change and applauded the choice of Shaw.

"He's a Stanford man," he said. "I've known that since he was recruiting me coming out of high school - a deep, abiding love and respect for Stanford. ... He's going to do a wonderful job with this program, and the players are behind him 100 percent."

Safety Mike Thomas said he was "ecstatic, excited - all that wrapped up in one big ball. He recruited me in Houston. He's a straightforward recruiter. He's a genuine guy."

The normally soft-spoken Shaw presents a contrast with the outspoken Harbaugh, who has a more rah-rah approach. But linebacker Shayne Skov said it's a mistake to underestimate the new coach's zeal.

"Deep down, he's a very competitive individual," Skov said. "He might not be as vocal, but he loves to compete. I'm sure he'll find the pieces to make the program work. It's a tremendous hire."

Bowlsby said it was important that a coach be named this week because about 20 recruits are coming for their official visits this weekend. He didn't want them wondering who the new boss would be.

The Orange Bowl trophy was displayed during the news conference, but Shaw made a point of saying he's not looking back on the team's record-breaking 12-1 season.

"Take the 2010 season - it was outstanding, phenomenal," he said. "We're going to put it in a box, we're going to put a ribbon on it, we're going to put it up on the shelf for everybody to admire. But we're going to get back to work. Our goals are not met. We did not win our conference. Oregon did that. It's our desire to be the first Pac-12 champions."

Ron Kroichick: Shaw inherits talent . . . and expectations. B2

E-mail Tom FitzGerald at tfitzgerald@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page B - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle