Pro Football Hall of Fame Guard and buffalo bills Legend Billy Shaw, who helped lead his team to back-to-back AFL championships, died on Friday. He was 85 years old.
Shaw, a legend in georgia technology, He died surrounded by his family at his home in Toccoa, Georgia, the Hall of Fame confirmed in a statement. According to the family, hyponatremia was cited as the cause of death.
(LR) #12 Daryle Lamonica, #30 Wray Carlton, #66 Billy Shaw, #78 Jim Harris, #77 Stew Barber, #86 Verlon Biggs during the New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York, on December 19, 1965. (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
“Billy Shaw has 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 noteworthy and enjoyable to recite, it doesn't come close in to provide the reason why he was elected to the Class of 1999,” said Hall of Fame President Jim Porter.
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“Billy's all-around athleticism brought a new dimension to the guard position and made the Buffalo Bills of the 1960s a formidable opponent capable of hurting opponents with a punishing running game,” Porter continued. “And while Billy could be ruthless toward anyone who got in his way on the football field, he was the classic example of 'southern gentlemen' off the field to everyone he encountered.”
Shaw was born in Natchez, Mississippi, where he began his football career at Carr Central High School. He would go on to play at Georgia Tech, where he was a two-way All-American.
Billy Shaw is introduced before the opening of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Fan Fest on Friday, May 2, 2014 at the Cleveland International Exposition Center. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan, File)
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Shaw was drafted by two teams in 1961: the Bills and the Dallas Cowboys – who played in the then-rival National Football League. But knowing the Cowboys' desire for him to play defense, Shaw signed with the AFL, where he would become a Bills legend.
In his nine seasons, Shaw was an eight-time All-Star, five-time All-AFL selection and helped the Bills win consecutive AFL championships from 1964 to 1965. He retired the year before the merger in 1970.
Houston Antwine (65) of the Boston Patriots in action against Buffalo Bills guard Billy Shaw (66) in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, on November 23, 1969. (Dick Raphael/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
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“I am devastated to learn of the passing of Billy Shaw,” Georgia Tech football coach Brent Key said in a statement Friday.
“Billy was very special to me personally and very special to the Georgia Tech football family. He was one of the best linemen to ever play football, but an even better man. He represented everything it means to be a Tech Man. He will be greatly missed. On behalf of the entire Georgia Tech football family, I send our deepest condolences to his wife, Patsy, his daughters, Cindy, Cathy and Cheryl, his grandson, and my dear friend, Jake Thornton. Shaw family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them tonight.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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