William Lewis Shaw (born December 15, 1938) is an American former professional

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 an

offensive guard 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 ...

for the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

in the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...

(AFL). 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 ...

with the

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), located in Atlanta, Georgia. The teams have also been nicknamed the Ramblin' Wrec ...

, he was drafted by the Bills. Shaw was the prototypical "pulling guard" who despite his size held his own against much bigger defensive linemen like

Ernie Ladd Ernest Ladd (November 28, 1938 – March 10, 2007), nicknamed "The Big Cat", was an American professional football player and professional wrestler. A standout athlete in high school, Ladd attended Grambling State University on a basketball sc ...

Earl Faison Earl Faison (January 31, 1939 – June 12, 2016) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end in the American Football League (AFL) between 1960 and 1966. He spent most of his career with the San Diego Chargers. Career D ...

and Buck Buchanan. He won three straight Eastern Division titles and two American Football League championships in 1964 and 1965 with Buffalo. Shaw was a first-team All-American Football League selection four times (1963–1966) and second-team All-AFL in 1968 and 1969. He played in eight American Football League All-Star Games and was named to the All-Time All-AFL Team. He made the All-Decade All-pro football team of the 1960s. Shaw played his entire career in the

, and retired after the 1969 AFL season. Shaw is the only player ever inducted to the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...

without ever playing in the NFL. (The Bills, along with the rest of the AFL, merged with the NFL the season following his retirement.) He is also a member of the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame and the Bills' 50th Anniversary Team.

Early years

Shaw participated in sports throughout his entire youth. He played end in high school football at a small school right outside of Vicksburg until the school decided to drop football. His father moved the family into town so Shaw could continue to play football at Carr Central. Weighing in at 188 pounds Shaw played offensive and defensive tackle at Carr his senior year.

College career

Shaw played offense while he was at

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

. By his senior year, Shaw weighed in at 220 pounds. His senior year, he earned All-American honors as a two-way tackle and was named to the Georgia Tech All-Time Team. “Actually,” Shaw once said, “l thought I played defense much better than offense, and I still believe most of the honors I received were for my defensive play.” After the season, Shaw was named to the 1961 College All-Star Team. The coach worked him for two weeks as a

Defensive End Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

until guard

Houston Antwine Houston J. Antwine (April 11, 1939 – December 26, 2011) was an American professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the S ...

injured his ankle. This is when Shaw began playing guard. The College All-Star Team that year played 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 ...

. "I was scared to death,” Shaw recalled about playing the NFL champion Philadelphia Eagles in the annual All-Star contest. "I was up against

Ed Khayat Edward Michel Khayat (born September 14, 1935) is a thirty-five year National Football League veteran, ten years as a player (117 game total) and twenty-five as a coach. He was a starting defensive tackle for the victorious Philadelphia Eagles i ...

, a Mississippi boy who later finished his career with Boston (Patriots). I thought this might ease the tension a bit since he might take it easier on me. It was just the opposite. He turned me every way but loose.” Shaw played an amazing game, actually knocking the wind out of Eagle linebacker

Maxie Baughan Maxie Callaway Baughan Jr. (born August 3, 1938) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, and the Washington Redskins. Baughan played college football ...

. In the 1961 draft, Shaw was drafted in the second round by the

, and in the 14th round by the, then rival team of the Buffalo Bills, the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

. “I had been in contact with the Cowboys mostly prior to the Bills getting involved,” recalled Shaw. “The Cowboys wanted to play me at linebacker. We had lengthy conversations at that point in time. The Bills wanted to play me at either defensive end or an offensive line position. I really wanted to play on the defensive side of the ball as a defensive end. So that triggered a real interest for me (in the Bills).”

Professional career

Billy Shaw was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys and the Buffalo Bills in the 1961 NFL and AFL Drafts, respectively, and decided to sign with the Bills. Shaw did well at both blocking for the pass and for the run. With Bills' running backs tending to be more durable than fast, Shaw was the perfect guard. He could stay in front of the runners far down field. Shaw was known as "the driving force of the offensive unit." Shaw was a first-team All-American Football League selection four times (1963–1966) and second-team All-AFL in 1968 and 1969. He played in eight American Football League All-Star Games and was named to the All-Time All-AFL Team. He made the All-Decade All-pro football team of the 1960s. Shaw played his entire career in the American Football League, and retired after the 1969 AFL season. The 1962-1964 Bills are still ranked among the best in rushing touchdowns in a season in the team's record book.

Personal life

Shaw married Patsy in 1960. Shaw was inducted into

in 1999. During his speech, he forgot to thank his wife. After taking pictures, he went back on stage and got on his knees and apologized.Graham, Tim. "10 years after speech, Billy Shaw's still apologizing." ESPN NFL. ESPN, August 8, 2009. Web. September 28, 2011. .

References

External links