Billy Shaw
William Lewis Shaw (born December 15, 1938) is an American former professional football player who played as a guard for the Buffalo Bills in the American Football League (AFL). After playing college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, 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, Earl Faison and Buck Buchanan. He won three straight Eastern Division titles and two American Football League championships in 1964 and 1965 with Buffalo.
Shaw "pulling" against the Jets in a 1964 AFL game. | |||||||
| No. 66 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Guard | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | December 15, 1938 Natchez, Mississippi, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 258 lb (117 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Carr Central (Vicksburg, Mississippi) | ||||||
| College: | Georgia Tech | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 1961 / Round: 14 / Pick: 184 | ||||||
| AFL draft: | 1961 / Round: 2 / Pick: 9 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| |||||||
| Career AFL statistics | |||||||
| |||||||
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||
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 season.
Shaw is the only player ever inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame 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.