Elbert Vernell Shelley (born December 24, 1964) is a former

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 ...

player who was a

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

for the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

. He went to the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

four times as a

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

player. Shelley's hometown is

Trumann, Arkansas Trumann is a city in Poinsett County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 7,399 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Jonesboro Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Trumann is located in the Arkansas Delta at (35.676313, -90.51 ...

. He was an

honor student An honors student or honor student is a student recognized for achieving high grading (education), grades or high marks in their coursework at school. United States In the US, honors students may refer to: # Students recognized for their academi ...

as well as a star running back for the football team. In college Shelley was switched from running back to safety by Coach Larry Lacewell.

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* 1964 births Living people People from Poinsett County, Arkansas American football safeties Arkansas State Red Wolves football players Atlanta Falcons players National Conference Pro Bowl players Players of American football from Arkansas {{defensiveback-1960s-stub