Simon Shanks

{{Short description|American football player (1971–2006)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{More footnotes|date=December 2021}}

{{Infobox gridiron football person

|image=

|birth_date=October 16, 1971

|birth_place=Laurel, Mississippi

|death_date={{Death date and age|2006|01|05|1971|10|16}}

|College=Tennessee State

|Position=Linebacker

|DraftedYear=

|DraftedRound=

|playing_years1=1995

|playing_team1=Arizona Cardinals

|DatabaseFootball=SHANKSIM01

|}}Simon Shanks (October 16, 1971 – January 5, 2006) was a National Football League player for the Arizona Cardinals in 1995. An alumnus of Tennessee State University, he played linebacker in his sole professional season, leading the Cardinals defense with 27 tackles. Shanks was killed in a robbery at his home in Phoenix on January 5, 2006. Three men approached Shanks and his friend in his garage working out. His wife was locked in the bathroom of the house while the men beat Shanks and his friend. They were both shot, with Shanks being shot fatally. His other friend was shot in the neck, surviving.{{cite web |title=Former Cardinals linebacker killed in shooting |url=http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/ARI/9148872 |website=NFL.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060220214611/http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/ARI/9148872 |archive-date=February 20, 2006 |date=January 6, 2006}}