Will Shields – Biography

Born & High School

Shields was born September 15th in Fort Riley, Kansas. He graduated from Lawton High School in Lawton, Oklahoma, were he was part of a show, jazz and ensemble choir, 1987 state championship football team :Oklahoma’s all-state team and Oklahoma’s Defensive player of the year.

College

One of a long line of outstanding offensive linemen at Nebraska, Will Shields became the fifth Husker to win the Outland Trophy, capturing the prestigious award following the 1992 season.

A consensus All-American and a Lombardi Award semifinalist as a senior, Shields helped the Huskers win national team rushing titles in three of his four seasons at Nebraska (1989, 1991 and 1992). NU’s first scholarship player from the state of Oklahoma, Shields is one of only six Husker linemen to earn all-conference honors for three straight seasons.

Shields’ No. 75 was retired at the 1994 Spring Game, along with Butkus Award winner Trev Alberts’ No. 34 and the No. 75 jersey of former Outland Trophy winner Larry Jacobson. The ceremony marked the first time that three jerseys were retired at the same time.

As a senior, Shields received votes for Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year and earned All-America honors from Kodak, AP, UPI, Walter Camp and Football News.

During his junior campaign, he was an unanimous selection to the All-Big Eight team and a second-team All-American, helping the Huskers rank first in the conference in rushing offense and total offense.

Shields became the second offensive lineman to play as a true freshman in 1989, appearing in nine games. In his second year, Shields became the first sophomore lineman since College Football Hall of Famer Dave Rimington to earn first-team all-conference honors for NU, helping the Huskers lead the Big Eight in scoring, rushing and total offense. 2011 College Football Hall Of Fame, 2016 University of Nebraska Hall Of Fame

Pro-Career

One of the finest players to ever play his position, announced his retirement from the NFL on April 15th, 2007 … Ironman right guard Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2015 and … in 2012 his name was affixed to the facade of Arrowhead Stadium as a member of the Chiefs Hall of Fame … Owns a franchise-record streak of 12 consecutive Pro Bowl berths, the longest active streak in the NFL and the most total Pro Bowl appearances in Kansas City history … Those 12 Pro Bowl nods tied G Randall McDaniel for the most Pro Bowl invitations in NFL history … Is clearly worthy of being mentioned as one of the all-time great players in the illustrious history of the Chiefs franchise, not just for his consistently high level of performance on the field, but also for the ongoing personal commitment he and his family made to the Kansas City community … Was unquestionably a cornerstone upon which much of the Chiefs success was built since he joined the club as an unheralded third-round draft choice in ‘93 … Was the longest-tenured player on the Kansas City roster in 2006, He Played in a franchise-record 224 consecutive regular season games dating back to the first game of his rookie campaign … His 224 games played are the most games of service given to the franchise … His 223 career starts are also the highest total in team history … At the time of his retirement, only Green Bay QB Brett Favre (237) had a longer starting streak among active players than Shields’ string of 223 straight games dating back to the second contest of the ‘93 campaign at Houston (9/12/93) … Is one of only four players since the AFL-NFL merger to own a streak of 200 or more consecutive starts, joining Favre (237), OL Bruce Matthews (229), and G Randall McDaniel (202) … Of the nine modern-era guards in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, no one has played in more career games at the guard position than Shields. Other members of that distinguished HOF-guard group include:-Gene Upshaw (217 games), Gene Hickerson (202), Joe DeLamielleure (185), Tom Mack (184), John Hannah (183), Larry Little (183), Bruce Matthews (166 at guard, 290 total), Mike Munchak (159) and Billy Shaw (119) … Saw his initial NFL duty at Tampa Bay (9/5/93), a game that also marked the debuts of Pro Football Hall of Famers QB-Joe Montana and RB-Marcus Allen in Kansas City uniforms … Was a mainstay in the Kansas City lineup since his initial NFL-start a week later at Houston (9/12/93) … Along with Chiefs Hall of Famer Ed Budde is the only other guard in team history to merit multiple Pro Bowl invitations. Budde was honored as an AFL-All-Star or AFC-Pro Bowler seven times (’64, ‘67-72) … As decorated as he was on the field, is perhaps even more highly regarded for his efforts off the field … Was named the 2003 Walter Payton NFL-Man of the Year, the most prestigious accolade that can be bestowed upon an active player … Received that honor from Commissioner Paul Tagliabue prior to Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston, Texas on January 30, 2004 … Became the fourth player in Kansas City history to earn the Man of the Year trophy, joining the illustrious likes of Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinees LB-Willie Lanier (’72) and QB-Len Dawson (’73), as well as the late nine-time Pro Bowl LB-Derrick Thomas (’93) … Only the Chicago Bears boast as many Man of the Year winners as the Chiefs … Mild-mannered performer spoke volumes with his consistently high level of play … Was a key reason Kansas City led the NFL in total offense in 2004 and 2005 … Helped pave the way for five of the six-best single-season rushing performances in franchise history, all of which have occurred over the past six seasons courtesy of RBs Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson … Protected four Chiefs starting QBs who have earned a Pro Bowl berth with the franchise: Trent Green (2003, 2005), Elvis Grbac (2000), Steve Bono (’99) and Montana (’93) … Was a key reason that Green compiled a franchise-record streak of 81 consecutive starts … Was a major factor in helping the Chiefs register more net yards of total offense (380.9 per game) from 2001-05 than any other team in the league … An instinctive performer who could out-smart, out-maneuver or simply overpower opponents and was endowed with an innate ability to decipher the best means of attacking each particular adversary … Was equally effective in the trenches or the open field and was particularly adept as a lead blocker on plays which require a pulling guard … Truly gifted performer made his name at right guard, but saw action in three games at tackle for the club, including a start at left tackle vs. Carolina (12/10/00) … During his 223-game starting streak, started alongside 10 different left tackles, 10 different left guards, four different centers and 13 different right tackles … Was a member of the Chiefs “40 Years in Kansas City 40-Man Squad”?in 2002 and joined Thomas as the only other active player who was named to the Chiefs 40th Anniversary Team in ‘99 … Despite his highly-decorated status, was a true team player who put the good of the whole ahead of his own personal gain … Considered one of the most valuable performers on the Kansas City roster year in and year out … Was a guiding influence in the development of three-time Pro Bowl G Brian Waters, who entered the NFL as a rookie free agent in ‘99 and joined the Chiefs in 2000 … For eight seasons was the junior member of the offensive line “Law Firm” which was referred to in the Arrowhead locker room as the single entity of Szott, Grunhard and Shields. That interior line triumvirate is widely regarded as one of the finest in the illustrious history of the franchise. Started 125 contests alongside Grunhard, the highest total of any teammate during his career … Was Kansas City’s first pick in the ‘93 NFL-Draft, going in the third round (74th overall) … Arguably the steal of that year’s annual selection meeting after being the 11th offensive lineman chosen.

Highschool: OKLAHOMA

1987-88 Oklahoma State Championship Football Team
Black Watch – LHS Football
1989 All State Football Team
Oklahoma Defensive Player of the year
1985-1989 Honor Jazz & Show Choir
2019 Oklahoma Sports Hall Of Fame

College:

Unity Council Charter Member
Teammates Charter Member+++
1990 All Big Eight Freshman Team
1991 All Big Eight Team
1992 All Big Eight Team, AP, Kodak,UPI, Walter Camp & Playboy ALL American,
1992 Lombardi Semi-Finalist
1992 Outland Trophy Winner
Nebraska Hall Of Fame 1993
Husker All-Century Team (2000)
Walter Camp All Century team (2000)
University of Nebraska Hall Of Fame 2016
2011 Football Foundation College Hall Of Fame

Pro-Football:

1993 Mack Lee Hill Rookie of the year Award KC Chiefs
1995-2007 12x Pro-bowl selection
NFL 2000s All-Decade Team
12× Pro Bowl (1995–2006)
3× First-team All-Pro (1999, 2002, 2003)
40 Years in Kansas City 40-Man Squad” (2002)
4× Second-team All-Pro (1997, 2004, 2005, 2006)
Phil Simms All-Iron Team (2003)
Ed Block Courage Award (2005)
Walter Payton Man of the Year (2003)+++
Walter Camp Man Of The Year +++
Started 223 of 224 Games
Missouri Sports Hall of Fame (2009)
Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame 2012
Pro Football Hall Of Fame 2015

Philanthropist Awards +++

Teammates Champion Award 2013
Sports Alliance “sportsmanship award” 1999
Mid America Education Hall Of Fame (2001)
2004 The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society “Tribute to a Champion Award”
2003 Byron”Whizzer” White Award
Senia & Will Shields Council on Philanthropy “Philanthropist of the year” (2005)
JB Award (2004)
Henry B Iba Award
Southtown Foundation “The American Citizen Award”
Synergy Service “Kindness Award”
Tom Osborne “Legacy Award 2020

Shields has been inducted into the Nebraska Hall of Fame, Missouri Hall of Fame, College Football Hall of Fame, Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame, Oklahoma Sports Hall Of Fame ,2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame and 2016 University of Nebraska hall of Fame.