William Lewis Shaw (December 15, 1938 – October 4, 2024) was an American professional football player who was a guard for the Buffalo Bills in the American Football League (AFL). After playing college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, he was selected by the Bills in the second round of the 1961 AFL draft. Shaw was the prototypical "pulling guard" who despite his size held his own against much bigger defensive linemen like Ernie Ladd, Earl Faison and Buck Buchanan. He won three straight Eastern Division titles and two AFL championships in 1964 and 1965 with Buffalo.

Shaw was a first-team All-AFL selection five times (1962–1966) and second-team All-AFL in 1968 and 1969. He played in eight AFL 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 AFL, and retired after the 1969 season. He is the only member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame who never played in the National Football League (NFL).

Early life

Born on December 15, 1938, in Natchez, Mississippi, Shaw played sports all throughout his childhood. a small country school right outside of Vicksburg.

College career

At Georgia Tech, Shaw was a two-way player from 1957 to 1960, at offensive tackle and defensive tackle. He was named to the All-Freshman Team in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). He was named to the All-Time Bobby Dodd era Georgia Tech team. "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)." When it became clear that the Bills wanted Shaw to play guard, he still preferred playing for the Bills because he felt that his size and speed would make guard a more suitable position for him than linebacker, which was a position he had never played before. Additionally, his Georgia Tech coach, Bobby Dodd, encouraged Shaw to play for Buffalo. He was especially adept on short-yardage situations, when he would pull out from his left guard position followed by Cookie Gilchrist, Wray Carlton, Daryle Lamonica or Jack Kemp. During his speech, he forgot to thank his wife, Patsy. After taking pictures, he went back on stage and got on his knees and apologized.

In 1994, he was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. In 1988, he was inducted into the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame.

Shaw died from hyponatremia at his home in Toccoa, Georgia, on October 4, 2024, at the age of 85.

See also

  • List of American Football League players

References

  • Pro Football Hall of Fame: Member profile