William Lewis Shaw 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.
The Nashville Kats is the name of three separate franchises in the Arena Football League all located in Nashville, Tennessee. The original incarnation of the Kats launched in 1997 and were the first tenant of Bridgestone Arena. The Kats were first coached by Eddie Khayat, who won AFL Coach of the Year honors in 1997. After two seasons, Khayat was succeeded by Pat Sperduto, who coached the team to back-to-back appearances in ArenaBowl XIV and ArenaBowl XV. Despite on-field success, unfavorable lease conditions led to the sale of the team and relocation to Atlanta in December 2001, then becoming the original Georgia Force. The second incarnation of the Kats joined the league as an expansion team in 2005, again coached by Sperduto and again playing at Bridgestone Arena. This second incarnation played three seasons before folding in 2007. The third incarnation of the team, coached by Dean Cokinos, began play in 2024 at Nashville Municipal Auditorium. In 2025, they will become inaugural members of the newly-formed Arena Football One.
Robert Conrad Khayat is an American former academic administrator and football player who was the 15th chancellor of the University of Mississippi. He played football professionally as a placekicker, guard, and center for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL).
The 1971 NFL season was the 52nd regular season of the National Football League. The Boston Patriots changed their name to New England Patriots to widen their appeal to the entire New England region after moving to their new stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, located between Boston and Providence, Rhode Island.
Martin Ashley Bayless is an American football coach and former cornerback and safety. He is the secondary coach for the St. Louis BattleHawks of the United Football League (UFL). He is also the defensive coordinator for Brevard College, a position he has held since 2024. He played 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and played college football at Bowling Green State University. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the fourth round of the 1984 NFL Draft. He holds the record for most career interceptions in NCAA history with 27. After retiring from the NFL in 1998, he joined the Buffalo Bills as a Front Office Executive in 2000. He transitioned into coaching in the college ranks, and he has since held jobs with several professional football organizations.
Kurt Keola Gouveia is an American football coach and former linebacker who played 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and one season in the XFL. During his career, he played for the Washington Redskins, the Philadelphia Eagles (1995), and the San Diego Chargers (1996–1998). In 2001, he also played for the Las Vegas Outlaws in the now-defunct XFL.
Edward Michel "Eddie" Khayat is a thirty-five year National Football League (NFL) veteran, ten years as a player and twenty-five as a coach. He was a starting defensive tackle for the victorious Philadelphia Eagles in the 1960 NFL Championship Game and later their head coach in 1971 and 1972. He has been inducted into six Halls of Fame. Currently he serves on the Former Players Board of Directors of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA).
John Gregory was an American football head coach. He coached college football and at the professional level in the Canadian Football League (CFL), Arena Football League (AFL), and Indoor Football League (IFL).
John Boyd Christenbury was an American college football, basketball and baseball coach. His collegiate career began in 1938 when he became athletic director at Brevard College, serving there until 1940. While at Brevard, Christenbury also served as head football coach in 1938 and 1939. In 1940, he moved to East Carolina Teachers College, now East Carolina University, where he assumed the role of head coach for men's football and basketball in 1940 and baseball in 1941. Christenbury's 1941 football team went 7–0 and recorded the only undefeated season in East Carolina history. He did not coach football in 1942 due to the outbreak of World War II, although he continued coaching baseball through the 1942 season and basketball until early 1943.
Bobby Ray Franklin is a former American football player and coach. He played college football as a quarterback at the University of Mississippi and professionally as a safety in the National Football League (NFL) with the Cleveland Browns. Franklin served as the head football coach at Northwest Mississippi Community College from 1981 to 2004, leading his teams to NJCAA National Football Championships in 1982 and 1992. He has been named to seven Halls of Fame for his athletic and coaching accomplishments.
The 1960 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 28th in the National Football League. They compiled a 5–6–1 record and a fifth-place finish under head coach Buddy Parker while playing their home games at Forbes Field.
The 1973 Philadelphia Eagles season was the franchise's 41st in the National Football League. Although they improved upon their 2–11–1 record of the previous season, they failed to complete a winning record for the seventh consecutive season and failed to reach the playoffs for the thirteenth straight year.
The 1972 Philadelphia Eagles season was the franchise's 40th season in the National Football League. They failed to improve and declined on their previous output of 6–7–1, winning only two games. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the twelfth consecutive season.
The 1971 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 39th in the National Football League. They improved on their previous output of 3–10–1, winning six games. Despite the improvement, the team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the eleventh consecutive season. This was the team's inaugural season in Veterans Stadium.
Khayat, Khayyat is an Arabic-language occupational surname, literally meaning "tailor". Notable people with the surname include:
Robert Saleh is an Arab-American professional football coach who is the head coach of the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He has served as an assistant coach for the Houston Texans, Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars, and San Francisco 49ers. Saleh has appeared in two Super Bowls, one each with the Seahawks and 49ers, winning Super Bowl XLVIII with the former. He was named head coach of the Jets in 2021.
Michael Bayne is an athletic coach who has led teams in many sports, and in schools all across North and South Carolina. He served as the head golf coach and special teams coordinator at Brevard College from 2006 until 2010, where he then worked as the head track, cross country and lacrosse coach and special teams coordinator for North Greenville University. He grew up in South Carolina, receiving his B.A. degree from University of South Carolina in 1980. Bayne has provided services as the head and assistant coach for many different schools and team sports, from 1984 to the present. In addition to his coaching career, Bayne has been an upstanding educator and administrator.
Ronald R. Selesky Jr. is a former American football center and arena football coach. He played college football at North Central College and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He also served as the Director of Football Operations for the Birmingham Iron of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), and held the same position with the Tampa Bay Vipers of the XFL in 2020 prior to the league folding.
Ralph Emerson James Sr. was an American football and basketball coach. He served as the head football coach at Brevard College in Brevard, North Carolina (1932–1935), Western Carolina University (1936–1938), and High Point University (1945–1949).
