NFL Hall Of Famer Passes Away At 85

Billy Shaw, the Buffalo Bills icon and Hall of Famer who drove the team’s offensive line to two AFL titles, passed away after a brief illness. He was 85.

According to the New York Post, family members announced Shaw died from hyponatremia (a condition where sodium in the blood is abnormally low). His wife and daughters were by his side, the team said in a statement. “Billy Shaw holds the distinction of being the only member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to play his entire career in the American Football League, but while that fact is worthy of noting and nice to recite, it comes nowhere near providing the reason he was elected as a member of the Class of 1999,” Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said.

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“Billy’s all-around athleticism brought a new dimension to the guard position and made the 1960s Buffalo Bills a formidable opponent capable of bruising opponents with a punishing rushing attack. And while Billy could be unforgiving to anyone in his way on the football field, he was the classic example of the ‘Southern gentleman’ off the field to everyone he encountered.”

Born in 1938 in Nachez, Mississippi, Shaw was recalled fondly by friends and loved ones as the quintessential Southern gentleman. He was raised in a sports family by a supportive father who later moved the family to Vicksburg so his son could play at the larger high school. By his senior year, Shaw was playing both offensive and defensive tackle in a standout performance that brought him to Georgia Tech on a football scholarship. While there, Shawn earned Southeastern Conference Most Valuable Lineman, All-SEC, and All-American honors. He was named to the 1961 College All-Star Team.

The Bills selected Shaw ninth in the second round of the 1961 AFL Draft and later the Dallas Cowboys in that year’s NFL draft. “I had been in contact with the Cowboys mostly prior to the Bills getting involved,” recalled Shaw in a 2010 interview with the Bills’ media team. “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).”

In his rookie year, Shaw played all 14 games as a starting guard and later contributed to the Bills’ AFL championships in 1964 and 1965. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1999 where speakers introduced him as “the driving force of the offensive unit” who would often stay ahead of his running backs far downfield. During his remarks, Shaw accidentally forgot to thank his wife, Patsy, and later returned on stage, got down on both knees, and pleaded for forgiveness in front of the audience.

Shaw’s legacy includes eight AFL All-Star Games, the AFL All-Time Team, and the All-Decade All-Pro Football team of the 1960s. In 2009, he was named to the Bills’ 50th Anniversary Team.

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