Pro Football Hall of Famer Billy Shaw — a shining star of American Football League — dies

The professional football world today is celebrating the life of Pro Football Hall of Famer BILLY SHAW, who passed away Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, at his home in Toccoa, Ga., his family said. He was 85.

Shaw’s wife, Patsy, and their three daughters were at his bedside. The family cited hyponatremia as the cause of his death.

A member of the Hall of Fame’s Class of 1999, Shaw was a standout guard who helped the Buffalo Bills win back-to-back championships in the American Football League in the mid-1960s.

“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," said Hall of Fame President & CEO Jim Porter. "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 on Dec. 15, 1938, in Natchez, Miss., Shaw played high school football at Carr Central High School in Vicksburg, Miss. Enamored with an older Carr Central teammate who had gone on to Georgia Tech, Shaw also decided to attend the university. 

With the Yellow Jackets, Shaw was a two-way tackle who earned All-America honors as a senior. He was selected to play in the 1961 College All-Star Game, where a teammate’s twisted ankle became a life-altering twist of fate for both men. 

Shaw, who once said of his college career, “l thought I played defense much better than offense, and I still believe most of the honors I received were for my defensive play,” was assigned to the defensive squad for the all-star game. Teammate Houston Antwine, another two-way player out of Southern Illinois, was working out at guard. 

Antwine hurt his ankle in practice, however, and Otto Graham – a coach for the all-stars – determined he needed to fill the guard position more than he needed Shaw on the defensive line. 

Nervous about facing the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles – “I was scared to death,” Shaw recalled in one interview – he nonetheless held his own. A big hit on future nine-time Pro Bowl linebacker Maxie Baughan caught spectators’ attention. 
 

The all-star game also gave Shaw a glimpse into his future. Drafted by both the Bills in the AFL, presumably to play offense, and the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League, presumably to play defense, Shaw quickly realized his days as a defensive tackle in the pros could be limited. 

Another member of that all-star team was Bob Lilly, and many expected the Cowboys to take him in the first round of the draft, which they did with the 13th overall pick. If Shaw had played for the Cowboys, he likely would have been moved to linebacker, a completely new position for him. 

“I was so glad to get out from behind Bob Lilly and get over on the offensive side of the ball,” Shaw told the Bills in an article published in 2010. “I wasn’t about to shine sitting behind him.” 
 

Billy Shaw listened to coach's advice

Shaw also found encouragement for choosing Buffalo when he discussed his options with his college coach, Bobby Dodd. 

In his Enshrinement speech, Shaw recounted their conversation. 

“There is room for another league,” Shaw said Dodd told him. “And 10 to 12 years after the first season, the two leagues will merge. And you can say you were part of football history.” 

Shaw signed with the Bills for $11,000 with a $5,00 bonus. Hall of Fame owner RALPH WILSON JR. even sweetened the deal. 

“Mr. Wilson took me to Detroit, and I picked out a Pontiac Bonneville off the line,” Shaw said. 

For the Bills, the investment paid off immediately. Shaw – 6-foot-2 and 258 pounds – entered the lineup as a rookie and started all 14 games, a feat he matched for the first six seasons of his career. 

From 1962 through 1966, he earned first-team All-Pro honors and was selected to play in the AFL All-Star Game. It also was a golden era for the Bills as a franchise. 

Buffalo reached the playoffs for the first time in 1963, falling to the Boston Patriots in the game to determine the AFL’s East Division champion and representative in the AFL title game. The Bills posted a 13-2 record the following season, which culminated in a 20-7 conquest of the San Diego Chargers in the AFL Championship Game. 

The Bills made it back-to-back titles in 1965, again beating the Chargers thoroughly, 23-0.  

“As I get older and reflect back on those (AFL championship) teams, I think of the character of the men that played on those teams,” Shaw told reporter Vic Carucci at the time of his Enshrinement. “Those were two really good football teams that I feel could have competed in any arena. It was a joy to deal with those two teams.” 

Seemingly on their way to a third title – and a trip to the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game (later dubbed Super Bowl I) – the Bills fell to the Kansas City Chiefs 31-7. 

Shaw would call that result the “most regrettable” of his career “because it disappointed so many Bills fans.” 

The Bills’ stay atop the AFL’s East Division standings ended abruptly in 1967, and it’s no coincidence that’s the only season Shaw missed considerable playing time. He tore knee ligaments in training camp and missed action until Week 6 of the regular season. During his absence, the team made eight different offensive line adjustments in an attempt to fill the void Shaw left. 

He recovered from that knee injury and returned to all-star form the next two years before retiring after the 1969 season – the last before the AFL-NFL merger. 

At the time of his election to the Hall of Fame in 1999, the Bills of 1962, 1963 and 1964 still ranked second, third and fourth in the team record book for rushing touchdowns scored in a season.
 

Billy Shaw's athleticism and versatility paid off

Equally adept at pass blocking and run blocking, Shaw’s ability to pull out in front of runners was a perfect fit for the Bills. Because Buffalo’s runners tended to be more durable than fast, he sometimes was able to stay in front of them to make blocks far downfield. 

"During Billy’s tenure with the team, there was an ongoing debate in the locker room as to whether Billy was truly fast or the Buffalo Bills’ backs were truly slow. Of course, the answer to that question depends on whom you ask, the lineman or the backs,” Eddie Abramoski, a trainer with the Bills, said in presenting Shaw for enshrinement. “Anyway, it was a great pleasure to watch Billy pull out, kick out the linebacker, turn upfield, get a piece of the cornerback and then match stride for stride the running back as they ran down the field for a big gain or touchdown.” 

Abramoski described Shaw as big, fast, intelligent, tenacious, durable and dedicated. 

“The Bills were very successful during those times by running the ball and running it well,” he said. “And Billy’s playing ability was a large factor in the Bills’ success.” 

In an interview in 1999, Wilson said Shaw “was everything you look for in an offensive lineman – competitive, strong and tough. Additionally, he was a great leader who had a heart of gold. The combination of those outstanding qualities earned him the respect of his teammates and opponents alike.” 

Shaw was elected to the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame in 1988, the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 1994 and to the Bills’ 50th Anniversary Team. He played in eight AFL All-Star Games and was named to the All-Time AFL Team. 

“It was mentioned a while ago that I played my whole career in the AFL,” Shaw said in his Enshrinement speech. “It’s with pride that I stand here today in support of that league, and in a way being a part of all of those men that played in that league. 

“Thank you, men, for helping me get here.” 

Shaw’s legacy in professional football will be preserved at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.