Billy Shields
{{Short description|American football player (born 1954)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{similar names|William Shields (disambiguation){{!}}William Shields}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox NFL player
|image=Billy Shields.jpg
|caption=Shields with the Chargers {{circa}} 1982
|position=Offensive tackle
|number=66, 67, 70
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1954|8|23|mf=y}}
|birth_place=Vicksburg, Mississippi, U.S.
|height_ft=6
|height_in=8
|weight_lbs=272
|high_school=Banks {{nowrap|(Birmingham, Alabama)}}
|college=Georgia Tech (1972–1974)
|draftyear=1975
|draftround=6
|draftpick=136
|teams=
- San Diego Chargers ({{NFL Year|1975|1983}})
- San Francisco 49ers ({{NFL Year|1984}})
- Kansas City Chiefs ({{NFL Year|1985}})
- New York Jets (1985)
| highlights =
|statlabel1= Games played
|statvalue1=142
|statlabel2= Games started
|statvalue2=119
|statlabel3= Fumble recoveries
|statvalue3=4
|pfr=ShieBi20
}}
William Dean Shields (born August 23, 1954) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL), primarily for the San Diego Chargers. He played college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and was selected by the Chargers in the sixth round of the 1975 NFL draft. Shields also played in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs.
College career
Shields played college football at Georgia Tech from 1972 to 1974. He was inducted into the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame in 1985.{{cite web |title=Georgia Tech Hall of Fame |url=https://ramblinwreck.com/georgia-tech-sports-hall-of-fame/##fb|website=Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets|date=July 27, 2018 }}
Professional career
=San Diego Chargers=
Shields was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the sixth round of the 1975 NFL draft with the 136th overall pick.{{cite news|last=Edwards|first=Josh|url=https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/ultimate-nfl-draft-the-best-pick-for-all-256-slots-over-the-last-50-years-from-peyton-manning-to/|title=Ultimate NFL Draft: The best pick for all 256 slots over the last 50 years, from Peyton Manning to Ryan Succop|date=June 12, 2020|website=CBS Sports|access-date=May 17, 2024}} He became a starter for the team in 1976,{{cite news|author=|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/08/10/The-San-Diego-Chargers-Friday-traded-veteran-offensive-tackle/4494460958400/|title=The San Diego Chargers Friday traded veteran offensive tackle ...|date=August 10, 1984|website=UPI|access-date=May 17, 2024}} and started 119 games for the team.{{cite news|author=|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1984/09/28/71602b7d-2248-480f-b63e-f75f9b9aedd7/|title=Football: San Francisco 49ers|date=September 27, 1984|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=May 17, 2024}} A contract dispute between Shields and the Chargers resulted in his holding out during training camp, and this led to the team trading him to the Minnesota Vikings in August 1984. The Vikings, however, returned Shields to the Chargers after failing to come to contract terms with him and exercised a contingency clause for draft picks instead.{{cite news|author=|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1984/09/05/0fd417ee-bb49-4a34-b1c1-0bbb8299dcde/|title=Football: Minnesota Vikings|date=September 5, 1984|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=May 18, 2024}} Shields was waived by the Chargers a few weeks into the 1984 season.
=San Francisco 49ers=
The 49ers signed Shields off waivers in September 1984 to bolster the team's offensive line which had been hit by injuries to several players.{{cite book|last=Willis|first=Chris|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZQ4WBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA133|title=A Nearly Perfect Season: The Inside Story of the 1984 San Francisco 49ers|page=133|year=2014|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|location= Lanham, Maryland|isbn=978-1-4422-3642-4|via=Google Books|access-date=May 18, 2024}} Shields stated that he had been in discussions with four teams before choosing the 49ers, and that his decision was mainly based on personal relationships he had with already established with some of the team's coaches and players. Shields was mainly a reserve{{mdash}}playing in twelve games and starting once{{mdash}}on the Super Bowl XIX winners.{{cite news|author=|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/08/02/The-New-York-Jets-whose-two-starting-offensive-tackles/2840491803200/|title=The New York Jets, whose two starting offensive tackles...|date=August 2, 1985|website=UPI|access-date=May 18, 2024}} He was traded to the New York Jets for a 6th round draft pick in August 1985.{{cite news|last=Rhoden|first=William C.|author-link=William C. Rhoden|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/23/sports/jets-acquire-2-big-persons.html|url-access=subscription|title=Jets Acquire 2 'Big Persons'|date=August 23, 1985|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=May 18, 2024}}
=New York Jets=
Shields suffered a knee injury in the Jets' second game of the 1985 pre season, a 24{{ndash}}20 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.{{cite news|last=Eskenazi|first=Gerald|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/23/sports/jets-acquire-2-big-persons.html|url-access=subscription|title=Jets' Injury List Is Continuing to Grow|date=August 19, 1985|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=May 18, 2024}} Shields was placed on injured reserve by the team in September 1985,{{cite news|last=Yannis|first=Alex|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/09/04/sports/receivers-for-jets-an-untested-group.html|url-access=subscription|title=Receivers for Jets an Untested Group|date=September 4, 1985|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=May 18, 2024}} was reactivated in November 1985{{cite news|author=|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/11/08/Fridays-Sports-Transactions/7902500274000/|title=Friday's Sports Transactions|date=November 8, 1985|website=UPI|access-date=May 18, 2024}}{{cite news|author=|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/11/09/sports/sports-people-jets-activate-shields.html|url-access=subscription|title=Jets Activate Shields|date=November 9, 1985|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=May 18, 2024}} but was cut by the team in December 1985.{{cite news|last=Eskenazi|first=Gerald|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/12/06/sports/jets-are-successful-with-big-turnover.html|url-access=subscription|title=Jets Are Successful with Big Turnover|date=December 6, 1985|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=May 18, 2024}}
=Kansas City Chiefs=
The Kansas City Chiefs claimed Shields off waivers from the Jets on December 7, 1985.{{cite news|author=|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/12/07/Sports-Digest/9074502779600/|title=Sports Digest|date=December 7, 1985|website=UPI|access-date=May 18, 2024}}
Personal life and post playing career
Shields co-operated a development company in the San Diego area with former Chargers' teammate Don Macek in 1990.{{cite news|author=|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/04/27/Charger-veteran-Don-Macek-retires/2974641188800/|title=Charger veteran Don Macek retires|date=April 27, 1990|website=UPI|access-date=May 18, 2024}}
Shields was a plaintiff in a 2012 lawsuit filed by former NFL player Brent Boyd against the NFL over concussion related injuries sustained while playing.{{cite book|url=https://www.hausfeld.com/uploads/documents/boydamendedcomplaint.pdf|chapter-url=https://www.hausfeld.com/uploads/documents/boydamendedcomplaint.pdf#page=77|title=Brent Boyd, et al., Plaintiffs, v. National Football League, et al., Defendants|chapter=192. Plaintiff William "Billy" Shields|page=77|publisher=United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania|via=Hausfeld.com|access-date=May 28, 2024}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{San Diego Chargers 1975 draft navbox}}
{{Super Bowl XIX}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shields, Billy}}
Category:Players of American football from Vicksburg, Mississippi
Category:American football offensive tackles
Category:Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football players
Category:San Diego Chargers players
Category:San Francisco 49ers players