Allan Quay Shipley (born May 22, 1986) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
coach and
center who most recently was an offensive assistant for the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He played twelve seasons in the (NFL) and was drafted by the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
in the seventh round of the
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. T ...
after playing
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
for
Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...
. Shipley spent most of his career with the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
, but was also a member of the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
,
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
,
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
, and
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
at different points.
Early years
Shipley attended
Moon Area High School in
Moon Township, Pennsylvania. As a team captain, he helped the
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
team reach the 2003
WPIAL
The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) is an interscholastic athletic association in Western Pennsylvania. It is District 7 of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association.
History
The Western Pennsylvania Inte ...
Class AAA semifinals. He was a named to the ''
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...
'' Fabulous 22, the ''
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
The ''Pittsburgh Tribune-Review'', also known as "the Trib," is the second largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Although it transitioned to an all-digital format on December 1, 2016, it rem ...
'' Terrific 25, and the ''
Harrisburg Patriot-News
''The Patriot-News'' is the largest newspaper serving the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area. In 2005, the newspaper was ranked in the top 100 in daily and Sunday circulation in the United States. It has been owned by Advance Publicati ...
'' Platinum 33 lists and played in the 2004
Big 33 Football Classic. He also was a three-year starter in basketball,
helping to lead the team to win the 2003–2004
PIAA state championship.
[For Moon, PIAA basketball title a tough act to follow](_blank)
/ref> He wrestled one year in high school at heavyweight, pinning the defending division IV state champion in his first match.
Regarded as four-star recruit by ''Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
'', Shipley was listed as the No. 12 defensive tackle prospect in the class of 2004.
College career
During his career at Penn State, Shipley switched positions on the offensive
Offensive may refer to:
* Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative
* Offensive (military), an attack
* Offensive language
** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...
and defensive
Defense or defence may refer to:
Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups
* Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare
* Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks
* Defense indust ...
lines, several times. Shipley's redshirt
Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi
* Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...
freshman season at Penn State began with him playing on the offensive line and ended with him playing defense. At the beginning of the 2006 season Shipley was switched back to the offensive line and he spent the season as the starting center and anchored the offensive line for Tony Hunt's record-setting senior season. Shipley is known for his engaging personality and has served as the team Santa Claus
Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...
for the Nittany Lions' annual Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
party. He is known as a team leader who has sought out leadership positions.
Shipley began the 2008 season on the Lombardi, Outland, and Rimington Trophy watchlists. By October, he had earned mid-season All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
n honors from ''Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'', '' College Football News'', CBS Sports
CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W 5 ...
, and Phil Steele. At season's end, he was awarded the Rimington Trophy, awarded annually to the best center in college football. He was also named an All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
n, a consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection, and the conference's Offensive Lineman of the Year.
Shipley earned a Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
in labor studies from Penn State in 2008.
Shipley was a 2008 team captain for the Nittany Lions. He was the recipient of the 2008 Dave Rimington Trophy.
Professional career
Pittsburgh Steelers
Shipley was invited to the 2009 NFL Scouting Combine
The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footb ...
where he bench press
The bench press, or chest press, is a weight training exercise in which the trainee presses a weight upwards while lying on a weight training bench. Although the bench press is a full-body exercise, the muscles primarily used are the pectorali ...
ed 33 reps of 225 lbs. (fifth among offensive linemen at the combine) and measured a 31-inch vertical jump
A vertical jump or vertical leap is the act of jumping upwards into the air. It can be an exercise for building both endurance and strength, and is also a standard test for measuring athletic performance. It may also be referred to as a ''Sargent ...
(eighth among offensive linemen at the combine). He ran 7.46 in the 3 cone drill
The three-cone drill, 3-cone drill or L-drill is a test performed by American football players. It is primarily run to evaluate the agility, quickness and fluidity of movement of players by Scout (sport), scouts. It is most commonly seen at the N ...
and 4.40 in the 20-yard shuttle
The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footba ...
(second and fifth, respectively, among offensive linemen at the combine). Shipley also scored a 40 on the Wonderlic Test—double the average score for NFL draft prospects.
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Shipley in the seventh round with the 226th overall pick the 2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. T ...
. He was the last of seven centers selected during the draft. On June 18, 2009, he signed a three-year, $1.22 million contract. He was waived on September 4, 2009 and was signed to the practice squad
In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...
on September 6.
Philadelphia Eagles
On January 11, 2010, the Philadelphia Eagles signed him to a three-year contract. He was waived on September 4, 2010, and re-signed to the team's practice squad on September 5, 2010. He spent the entire season on the practice squad, and was re-signed to a future contract on January 10, 2011. He was waived during final cuts on September 2, 2011.
Indianapolis Colts
On January 29, 2012, the Indianapolis Colts signed Shipley, reuniting him with offensive coordinator Bruce Arians
Bruce Charles Arians (born October 3, 1952) is an American football executive and former coach in the National Football League (NFL). Since 2022, he has been a senior football consultant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Arians was previously the he ...
. Shipley competed with Samson Satele in training camp and was ultimately named the backup center to begin the season. He made his professional debut in the Colts' season-opening 21–41 loss at the Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
.
On October 7, 2012, Shipley made his first career start in place of an injured Samson Satele
Samson H. Satele (born November 29, 1984) is a former American football center. He played college football at Hawaii and was drafted in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins.
Satele also played for the Oakland Raiders an ...
. He finished the regular season with five starts and played in 14 games.
Baltimore Ravens
On May 9, 2013, the Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
traded Shipley to the Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
for a 2014 conditional seventh-round draft pick.
He entered training camp competing with Gino Gradkowski for the vacant starting center position left by the retirement of Matt Birk
Matthew Robert Birk (born July 23, 1976) is a former American football center who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He spent most of his professional career playing for the Minnesota Vikings. He was the Republican nom ...
. Shipley was named the backup to Gradkowski to begin the regular season. On November 3, 2013, Shipley made his first start of the season, in place of Gradkowski, during an 18–24 loss to the Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
. He started the last nine games of the regular season, while appearing in all 16.
On August 30, 2014, Shipley was waived by the Ravens.
Indianapolis Colts (second stint)
On August 31, 2014, the Indianapolis Colts claimed Shipley off of waivers after starting center Khaled Holmes
Khaled Holmes (born January 19, 1990) is a former American football center. He played college football at USC, and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Early years
Holmes was born in San Diego, Califo ...
suffered an injury during the first snap of the preseason.
He was immediately inserted into a competition for the starting center position against rookie Jonotthan Harrison
Jonotthan Harrison (born August 25, 1991) is an American football Center (gridiron football), center who is a free agent. He played college football at Florida Gators football, Florida. He was not selected during the 2014 NFL Draft, but signed w ...
. Shipley was named the starting center for the season opener against the Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
. After starting and playing well in the first four games, he was surprisingly demoted to the backup position behind undrafted rookie Jonotthan Harrison. He finished the 2014 season playing in 15 games, started five, and was ranked as the 13th highest graded center in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.
Arizona Cardinals
On March 11, 2015, the Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
signed Shipley to a two-year, $1.57 million contract that includes $300,000 guaranteed and a $100,000 signing bonus. This reunited him with head coach Bruce Arians
Bruce Charles Arians (born October 3, 1952) is an American football executive and former coach in the National Football League (NFL). Since 2022, he has been a senior football consultant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Arians was previously the he ...
for the third time on their third different team.
Shipley entered training camp competing to be the Cardinal's starting center, but was named the backup to Ted Larsen
Theodore Larsen (born June 13, 1987) is an American football guard who is a free agent. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at NC State.
Post-football Career
After a ...
. He made his Cardinals debut in their 31–19 season-opening victory over the New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
. On October 26, 2015, he made his first start at center for the Cardinals in a 26–18 victory over the Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
. In his first season with the Arizona Cardinals, he appeared in 12 games and started three.
The following season, Shipley entered training camp competing with rookie Evan Boehm
Evan Boehm (born August 19, 1993) is a former American football center. He played college football at Missouri.
Early years
At Missouri, Boehm was teammates with Markus Golden and both served as team captains for the Tigers. As a Junior in high ...
and veteran Taylor Boggs after Larsen departed for the Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
in free agency. The Arizona Cardinals named him their starting center to open the season. He started all 16 regular season games, as the Cardinals finished with a 7–8–1 record.
On March 9, 2017, the Arizona Cardinals signed Shipley to a two-year, $3.5 million contract extension, that includes a $725,000 signing bonus. He was the only offensive lineman for the Cardinals to start all 16 games for the second season in a row.
On August 6, 2018, Shipley tore his ACL in training camp and was ruled out for the season. On August 24, 2018, he signed a one-year contract extension with the Cardinals through the 2019 season.
In 2019, Shipley started all 16 games at center for the Cardinals.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On August 27, 2020, Shipley signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
, marking the fourth time he would play under Bruce Arians for the fourth different team. He was released during final roster cuts on September 5, but re-signed with the team three days later. Shipley would go on to start 2 games for Tampa Bay before suffering a neck injury. On November 26, head coach Bruce Arians
Bruce Charles Arians (born October 3, 1952) is an American football executive and former coach in the National Football League (NFL). Since 2022, he has been a senior football consultant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Arians was previously the he ...
announced that Shipley may have a career-ending neck injury, and he was placed on injured reserve two days later.
Ultimately, it was revealed that Shipley had suffered from what he described as a "bruised spinal cord", and at age 34 opted to retire rather than undergo surgery. Despite this, Shipley would get a Super Bowl ring for his earlier contributions after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The tea ...
in Super Bowl LV
Super Bowl LV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2020 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the American Football Conferen ...
, 31–9.
NFL career statistics
Coaching career
Following his retirement, Shipley was named an offensive assistant on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
' coaching staff on May 5, 2021.
Personal life
Shipley co-hosts “IN THE TRENCHES” a segment on the Pat McAfee Show presented by Pat McAfee Inc. He is married and has two children.
References
Further reading
"Shipley has become a mainstay on Penn State offensive line"
Neil Geoghegan, DailyLocal.com, May 9, 2008.
"I spy ... A.Q. Shipley"
Flounders, Bob, ''The Patriot-News
''The Patriot-News'' is the largest newspaper serving the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area. In 2005, the newspaper was ranked in the top 100 in daily and Sunday circulation in the United States. It has been owned by Advance Publicati ...
'', November 24, 2008
"A Jokester and Mentor"
Jeff McLane, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...
'', December 26, 2008.
Shipley feels the buzz as he trains for draft in Tempe
By Ron Musselman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...
, January 27, 2009
External links
*
Tampa Bay Buccaneers bio
Philadelphia Eagles bio
Pittsburgh Steelers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shipley, A.Q.
1986 births
Living people
People from Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
Sportspeople from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area
Players of American football from Pennsylvania
American football centers
Penn State Nittany Lions football players
Pittsburgh Steelers players
Philadelphia Eagles players
Indianapolis Colts players
Baltimore Ravens players
Arizona Cardinals players
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
Tampa Bay Buccaneers coaches