Billy Shaw, a Pro Football Hall of Fame guard and Buffalo Bills legend who led the team to back-to-back AFL championships, died Friday. He was 85 years old.
Shaw, a Georgia Tech legend, passed away surrounded by his family at his home in Toccoa, Georgia, the Hall of Fame confirmed in a statement. According to the family, the cause of death was hyponatremia.
(LR) #12 Darryl Lamonica, #30 Ray Carlton, #66 Billy Shaw, #78 Jim Harris, #77 Stew Barber, #86 Verlon Biggs at Shea Stadium in Flushing, NY During the New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills game, December 19, 1965. (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal, Getty Images, Getty Images)
“Billy Shaw holds the honor of being the only member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to have played his entire career in the American Football League, a fact that is notable and good to recite. Yes, but he is far from explaining 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 a formidable opponent in the 1960s, capable of hurting opponents with a punitive rushing attack,” continued Porter. “And while Billy may be ruthless on the football field to those who got in his way, off the field he was a classic example of a 'Southern gentleman' to everyone he met.”
Shaw was born in Natchez, Michigan and began his football career at Carr Central High School. He went on to play at Georgia Tech, where he was an All-American two-way player.
Billy Shaw was introduced before the inaugural Pro Football Hall of Fame Fan Fest on Friday, May 2, 2014, at the International Exposition Center in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan, File)
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Shaw was drafted in 1961 by the Bills and Dallas Cowboys, then playing in the rival National Football League. But knowing the Cowboys wanted him to play defense, Shaw signed with the AFL, where he would become a Bills legend.
Shaw was an eight-time All-Star and five-time All-AFL selection in nine seasons, and helped the Bills win back-to-back AFL championships in 1964-1965. He retired in 1970, the year before the merger.
Houston Antwine (age 65) of the Boston Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills guard Billy Shaw (age 66) on November 23, 1969 in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. (Dick Raphael/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
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“I am shocked to learn of Billy Shaw's death,” 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 the game of football, but even better. He was the embodiment of everything it means to be a Technician.''We speak on behalf of the entire Georgia Tech football family: his wife, Patsy, and daughters Cindy, Kathy, and Cheryl. , and his grandson, and my dear friend Jake Thornton, my deepest condolences. The entire Shaw family is in our thoughts and prayers tonight. ”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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