![]() Shields at Whiteman Air Force Base in 2014 | |||||||
No. 68 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Guard | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Fort Riley, Kansas, U.S. | September 15, 1971||||||
Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 320 lb (145 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Lawton (Lawton, Oklahoma) | ||||||
College: | Nebraska | ||||||
NFL draft: | 1993 / Round: 3 / Pick: 74 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| |||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||
| |||||||
Player stats at PFR | |||||||
Will Herthie Shields (born September 15, 1971) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, earning consensus All-American honors and winning the Outland Trophy. Shields played his entire, 14-year professional career with the Kansas City Chiefs and never missed a game. Shields was selected to 12 Pro Bowls, was a 3× First-Team All-Pro, a 4x Second-Team All-Pro, and was selected to the NFL 2000's All-Decade Team. He won the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award in the 2003 season, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
Shields was born in Fort Riley, Kansas. [1] He graduated from Lawton High School in Lawton, Oklahoma, [2] where he played for the Lawton Wolverines high school football team. As a junior in 1987, he and fellow juniors Dewell Brewer, Butch Huskey, Kelly Stinnett and James Trapp won an Oklahoma state championship. [3]
While attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Shields played for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team from 1989 through 1992. Shields was a consensus first-team All-American and Outland Trophy winner during his final year at Nebraska. He is one of eight Cornhuskers players to win the Outland Trophy. In 1999, he was selected to the Nebraska All-Century Football Team via fan poll and to the All-Century Nebraska football team by Gannett News Service. In 2002, he was named to the Athlon Sports Nebraska All-Time Team. He is one of only 16 Cornhuskers to have his jersey retired by the team. In 1999 Shields was selected as an offensive guard to the Walter Camp Football Foundation College Football All Century Team. The other offensive guards selected were John Hannah of Alabama, Aaron Taylor of Nebraska, Brad Budde of USC, Dean Steinkuhler of Nebraska and Jim Parker of Ohio State. Shields was one of six Nebraska Cornhuskers selected to this team; the others being Johnny Rodgers, Dave Rimington, Steinkuhler, Tommie Frazier and Taylor.
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 ft 2+1⁄4 in (1.89 m) | 304 lb (138 kg) | 34+3⁄8 in (0.87 m) | 10+3⁄8 in (0.26 m) | 5.21 s | 1.77 s | 2.99 s | 4.60 s | 26.0 in (0.66 m) | 8 ft 7 in (2.62 m) | 18 reps | ||
All values from NFL Combine [4] |
Shields was the third-round (74th overall) pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1993 NFL draft, [5] after signing now Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren to be his agent. [6] Shields played for the Chiefs from 1993 to 2006. [7] Beginning with a September 12, 1993 game against the Houston Oilers, he was in the Chiefs' starting lineup for every game, a team record and at the time, the second longest active consecutive starting streak in the NFL behind Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers. He started 231 straight games (including playoffs) at the right guard position; an NFL record. He went to the Pro Bowl every year from 1995 to 2006, a total of 12, a Chiefs team record, and having played in all of them, he is tied with Champ Bailey and Randall McDaniel for most Pro Bowls played. [8] He was an important part in the Kansas City Chiefs offensive line that consistently led the team to a top 5 finish in rushing offense.
Shields blocked for Marcus Allen, Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson during his career. He had blocked for 1,000-yard rushers for five seasons. He blocked for 4,000-yard passers for five seasons while Elvis Grbac did it in 2000 and Trent Green in 2003, 2004, and 2005. In 14 seasons, Shields never missed a game, and he failed to start only one contest, his first regular-season outing, as a rookie in 1993. [9] On April 15, 2007, following 14 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, he announced his retirement from football. [9]
Shields currently works for NFL Legends as Community Central South Director. Shields is married to his wife Senia (a native of Denmark); [10] they have one daughter, Sanayika, and two sons, Shavon and Solomon. The Shields family resides in Stillwell, Kansas. Shavon played basketball for the University of Nebraska and currently plays professionally in Italy for Olimpia Milano, while Sanayika is a former basketball player for Drury University who is now an Emergency Medicine/Pediatrics Resident at Indiana University. Solomon is starting his film career writing and directing documentaries.
Anthony Ronald Yary is an American former football offensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL), primarily for the Minnesota Vikings, and also for the Los Angeles Rams. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001. Yary gave credit for his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction to his former coaches, John Ashton John McKay (college) and Bud Grant (professional). He also praised his position coaches Marv Goux, Dave Levy, John Michaels and Jerry Burns.
Robert Stanford Brown, nicknamed "the Boomer", was an American football offensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1964 through 1973. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, earning unanimous All-American honors. Brown was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles as the second overall pick in the 1964 NFL draft. A six-time Pro Bowl selection, he played for the Eagles from 1964 to 1968, the Los Angeles Rams from 1969 to 1970, and the Oakland Raiders from 1971 to 1973. Brown was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
Roger Timothy Craig is an American former football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Raiders and Minnesota Vikings. Craig went to four Pro Bowls and won three Super Bowls with the 49ers. Craig was the first NFL player to have 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season. Marshall Faulk and Christian McCaffrey are the only other players to have accomplished that feat. He currently works as the VP of Business Development at TIBCO Software.
Eight-man football is a form of gridiron football, generally played by high schools with smaller enrollments. Eight-man football differs from the traditional 11-man game with the reduction of three players on each side of the ball and a field width that can be reduced to 40 yards, 13 1/3 yards narrower than the 53 1/3-yard 11-man field. Most states continue to play on a field 100 yards long, whereas a few states opt for 80-yard lengths. Reduced-player football, which consists of eight-man, six-man, and nine-man football has gained popularity across the United States. As of 2015, 1,561 schools in 30 states sponsor reduced-player football, with 1,161 of those teams participating in eight-man leagues, whereas 284 teams play six-man football and 116 teams play nine-man football.
William Layton Roaf, nicknamed "Nasty", is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. He played college football for Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, where he earned consensus All-American honors. He was a first-round pick in the 1993 NFL draft, and played professionally for the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL. An 11-time Pro Bowl selection and nine-time All-Pro, he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
Johnny Steven Rodgers is an American former football player. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and won the Heisman Trophy in 1972. Rodgers played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Montreal Alouettes and in the National Football League (NFL) with the San Diego Chargers. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000.
Aaron Matthew Taylor is an American former professional football player who was a guard for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and was a two-time All-American. A first-round pick in the 1994 NFL Draft, he played professionally for the Green Bay Packers and the San Diego Chargers of the NFL. Taylor works as a college football analyst and television sportscaster. He is the Founder of the Joe Moore Award for the most outstanding offensive line unit in college football - the only major college football award going to a group versus an individual. Taylor is a speaker on teamwork and performance at summits, events, corporate retreats, universities. In 2021, Taylor was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
William Roy "Link" Lyman, also sometimes known as Roy Lyman, was an American football player and coach.
Toniuolevaiavea Satele Fonoti is an American-Samoan former professional player of American football who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and earned consensus All-American honors. The San Diego Chargers picked him in the second round of the 2002 NFL draft, and he played professionally for the Chargers, Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins of the NFL.
Aaron Taylor is an American former college football player who was an offensive lineman for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Taylor was a two-time All-American and won the Outland Trophy in 1997.
Berlin Guy "Champ" Chamberlin, sometimes misspelled Guy Chamberlain, was an American professional football player and coach. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1962 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965. He was also named in 1969 to the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team.
Curley Culp was an American football defensive lineman who was a defensive tackle in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arizona State University, where he was also an NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion. He played football professionally in the AFL for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1968 and 1969, and in the NFL for the Chiefs, Houston Oilers, and Detroit Lions. He was an AFL All-Star in 1969 and a six-time AFC–NFC Pro Bowler.
James Thomas Parker was an American professional football player who an offensive tackle and guard for the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played from 1957 to 1967, and was a member of Baltimore's NFL championship teams in 1958 and 1959. He was selected as a first-team All-Pro in nine of his 11 seasons in the NFL. Parker was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973.
Robert F. Waldrop is a former American college and professional gridiron football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at the University of Arizona, where he was a two-time consensus All-American for the Wildcats. Waldrop played professionally for the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs, and the Memphis Mad Dogs and Toronto Argonauts of the CFL. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Dean Elmer Steinkuhler is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons in the 1980s and 1990s. Steinkuhler played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and was recognized as an All-American. He was selected in the first round of the 1984 NFL draft, and played professionally for the Houston Oilers of the NFL.
Richard Edward Glover is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers under head coach Bob Devaney.
Jeffrey Bruce Kinney is an American former professional football player who was a running back for five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills in the National Football League (NFL). At 6'2" and 215 lb., Kinney was selected by the Chiefs in the first round of the 1972 NFL draft with the 23rd overall pick. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Carl Nicks, Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL draft. He also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 1991 Washington Huskies football team represented the University of Washington in the 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season. Head coach Don James, in his 17th season at Washington, was assisted by coordinators Keith Gilbertson (offense) and Jim Lambright (defense), both head coaches themselves within two years.
Shavon O'Day Shields is an American-Danish professional basketball player for Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team.