The National Football League and Pro Football Hall of Fame are saddened to learn that the NFL lost a legend in Buffalo Bills great offensive guard Billy Shaw. Shaw passed away on October 4th at the age of 85. His wife, children, and grandchildren were next to him when he passed away. His cause of death was determined to be hyponatremia, a low level of sodium in the blood of a human.
Remembering Billy Shaw
Billy Shaw was a member of the Buffalo Bills from 1961 to 1969, playing his entire nine-year career for the city of good neighbors. Known as a pulling guard coming out of the American Football League draft, Shaw chose to sign with the Bills over the Cowboys. He played college football at Georgia Tech. One of the reasons he chose Buffalo over Dallas was because he wanted to play guard rather than linebacker. The decision paid off, as he was the driving force behind an offensive unit that won two AFL championships.
Buffalo’s Rushing Attack
During his time in the AFL, he was selected to five All-AFL teams. Shaw blocked for an offensive roster that featured Jack Kemp and Cookie Gilchrist. While some offensive linemen excel in either pass blocking or run blocking, Shaw excelled at both. The results of his excellent blocking were that the Bills’ rushing attack in the 1960s set an AFL record for becoming the first team to feature a 1,000-yard running back in a 14-game schedule. With Cookie Gilchrist leading the way, the team rushed for nearly 1,100 yards. Often times, when Billy Shaw led the way, the rusher would score without defenders being close.
The Knock
In 1999, the Pro Football Hall of Fame selected Billy Shaw to be enshrined in Canton, Ohio. He is one of twelve members of the Bills to be enshrined in Canton. He is also the only Pro Football Hall of Fame member to play his entire career in the American Football League. Jim Porter stated during his enshrinement, “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 gentlemen’ off the field to everyone he encountered.”
Final thoughts
Billy Shaw will always be remembered in Buffalo Bills history as one of the greatest offensive guards to play for the Buffalo Bills. Leading the way for running backs, he was often the main blocker for an offensive powerhouse. Every time you walk into Highmark Stadium, you will see his name up on the wall of fame. He is one of thirty-one players in the Ring of Honor. The team at Total Apex Sports would like to extend our thoughts and prayers to Billy Shaw’s family during this difficult time.
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