Utah Football Coach And His Wife To Star On Reality TV Show
Any University of Utah football fans who happened to watch the premiere of Bravo Network's "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" last Wednesday may have seen a familiar face within the first minute of the show.
There on the big screen was longtime defensive backs coach Sharrieff Shah, alongside his wife Jen and their two sons Sharrieff Jr. and Omar. Sharrieff and his sons will be featured in the series because Jen is one of six main characters for this season's episodes of the popular reality show.
According to the show's website, Jen is still adapting to life in a Mormon world after growing up Tongan and Hawaiian.
"As a Tongan and Hawaiian growing up in Salt Lake City, Jen Shah felt like she often stuck out in her traditionally white, Mormon world. When she learned about the historical mistreatment of black people in the Mormon religion, she converted from Mormonism to Islam," the website wrote. "A mom of two with her husband, Sharrieff, Jen is the queen of her house and her businesses as the CEO of three marketing companies. Always decked out in designer brands, Jen loves to host parties and spares no expense - it’s important to her that everyone knows she is the best host in Utah. With an extravagant personality and sharp tongue, she can go from 0 to 100 very quickly, but usually comes back with apologies and love. But it’s not always fun and games for Jen with this group of women when she quickly finds herself at the center of the drama."
While his wife is making her mark in the world of reality television, Sharrieff has been making a name for himself as one of the top college football position coaches in America.
As defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator for the Utes, Sharrieff recently sent his five starters from the previous season to the NFL. Jaylon Johnson (Chicago Bears, 2nd round), Julian Blackmon (Indianapolis Colts, 3rd round) and Terrell Burgess (Los Angeles Rams, 3rd round) were all drafted into the NFL while Javelin Guidry (New Yorks Jets) and Josh Nurse (Jacksonville Jaguars) are currently on 53-man rosters in the league.
Sharrieff's journey to becoming coach was anything but typical.
After suiting up for the Utes in the early 90's, his career came to an end following a serious neck injury. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in political science (1993), Sharrieff went back to school and received his Master's in exercise and sport science (1995) and his Juris Doctorate in 2001.
Courtesy of Utah Athletics
He then spent the next 12 years as a practicing attorney with Parsons, Behle & Latimer before moving up as a trial attorney with Siegfried & Jensen.
But Sharrieff never stayed away from the game, as he was a certified agent with NFL Players Association where he had his brother Karim Abdul Jabbar (now known as Abdul Karim-Al Jabbar) serve as a client.
According to the Utah athletic website, Sharrieff furthered involved himself in Utah athletics prior to beginning his coaching career in 2011.
"He also trained players for the NFL Combine, was a sideline reporter for Utah’s flagship radio station ESPN 700 from 2000-11 and a sideline analyst for local television stations KUTV and KJZZ in their Ute broadcasts for three seasons."
Sharrieff Shah Jr. also comes from a football background. He suited up for the Utes from 2013-16, making all of his appearances for his dad on special teams.
You can catch Sharrieff, Jen and all of the drama that's sure to follow every Wednesday night on Bravo at 8 p.m. MT
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