Will Shields Elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2015 from The Mothership
Shields becomes the 11th longtime member of the Kansas City Chiefs to be enshrined. He joins Bobby Bell, Buck Buchanan, Len Dawson, Lamar Hunt, Willie Lanier, Jan Stenerud, Hank Stram, Derrick Thomas, Emmitt Thomas and Curley Culp, who all have earned the NFL's highest individual honor.
During his 14-year career, Shields was selected to 12 consecutive Pro Bowls, earning his first trip to the NFL's annual all-star game following the 1995 season. He has played in 12 career Pro Bowls, which stands tied for first all-time in NFL history for most Pro Bowl game appearances. He received first-team AP All-Pro honors twice during his career and was a five-time honoree (first and second-team) for All-Pro by the AP. Shields was also named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's All-Decade Team of the 2000s.
KCChiefs.com Video: Where are they Now: Will Shields
KCChiefs.com Photo Gallery: Will Shields 2015 HOF Inductee
Former Chiefs guard Will Shields selected to Hall of Fame from Chiefs Digest
The fourth time around proved a charm for former Chiefs guard Will Shields.
Shields, one of the most decorated players in Chiefs history, earned enough votes to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as announced Saturday night.
"Will's achievements and contributions to our franchise and community over 14 seasons were extraordinary," Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said in a statement. "Will was a true ‘iron man' - never missing a game in 14 seasons - and his career and character place him among the greatest in Chiefs history. Will's enshrinement further cements his place as one of the NFL's all-time greats. He spent his entire career in a Chiefs uniform; he embraced the city and our fans and we are thrilled for Will, his wife Senia and the Shields family."
Chiefs' Shields voted into Pro Football Hall of Fame from The Associated Press via FS Kansas City
Junior Seau, Jerome Bettis, Tim Brown, Charles Haley and Will Shields were elected Saturday to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The class of 2015, announced a day before the Super Bowl, also includes a pair of contributors, Bill Polian and Ron Wolf, along with senior selection Mick Tingelhoff.
Five nominees were eliminated in the final vote: Tony Dungy, Kevin Greene, Marvin Harrison, Orlando Pace and Kurt Warner.
Former Chiefs guard Will Shields selected to Pro Football Hall of Fame from ESPN
Will Shields was early in his career as a standout guard when the Kansas City Chiefs had little choice but to move Shields to left tackle because injuries had knocked several of their offensive linemen from a game in Cleveland against the Browns.
Shields shifted positions seamlessly, accounting well for himself and his team for the rest of that afternoon. That's the kind of 14-year career Shields had for the Chiefs, a run that ended with the 2006 season. Shields played a most unglamorous position, guard, but did whatever it was the Chiefs needed him to do and he did it well.
Shields was rewarded for his brilliant career on Saturday when he was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Former Chiefs guard Will Shields is elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame from KC Star
Former Chiefs guard Will Shields spent Saturday afternoon keeping up with his children who were playing college basketball games across America.
Whether it was by telephone, iPad or television in his hotel room, Shields followed his daughter Sanayika's early game for Drury University, his son Shavon's mid-afternoon game for Nebraska and family friend Willie Cauley-Stein's late-afternoon game for Kentucky.
Anything to ward off the nerves about whether voters meeting in downtown Phoenix would elect him into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Finally, the phone call came on Saturday night.
Hall of Famers: Will Shields from The Pro Football Hall of Fame
Will Shields, a 6'3", 320-pound guard out of Nebraska, was drafted in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. He was placed into the lineup in his first NFL game after the team's starting left guard Dave Szott suffered an injury. The next week, the offensive line was shuffled and Shields was inserted as the starting right guard. He started every game from that point through his retirement after the 2006 season. Shields never missed a game during his 14-season career and his 224 games played and 223 starts are franchise records.
As a rookie he helped the Chiefs to an 11-5-0 mark and the AFC Western Division crown. It marked the first division title for Kansas City since 1971. In all, the Chiefs won four division titles and made six playoff appearances during Shields' career.
Former Huskers Tingelhoff, Shields Elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame from 1011 Sports
A pair of former Nebraska offensive line greats were among eight individuals selected to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the 2015 class of inductees.
Mick Tingelhoff was a standout center for the Minnesota Vikings following his Nebraska career, while Will Shields followed his Husker career by becoming a perennial All-Pro for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The announcement of the Hall's 2015 class came on Saturday evening in Arizona as part of the NFL's Super Bowl weekend. Tingelhoff was chosen for induction by the Hall's senior committee, while Shields was elected in his fourth season as a modern-era Hall of Fame finalist.
Super award for North Attleboro's Sherman from The Attleboro Sun Chronicle
Sherman, who started his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals, was described as "a symbol of the power of hard work and determination" and "the best player of the field for much of his career" by award presenter and alumni association President Thomas Pirri.
However, Sherman remained humble when accepting his award.
"Any time you can get any award from North Attleboro High School, it's truly great," Sherman said. "It's a great honor, and I take a lot of pride in being from North Attleboro High School."
The awards ceremony just so happened to fall on the eve of Super Bowl XLIX, and Sherman had an idea or two of how the big game might go for the New England Patriots.
Mailbag: What's up with Alex Smith's rehab? from ESPN
There is no news because the season is over and Alex Smith and the rest of the players have scattered. My understanding was that he was on track for a full recovery. He should be ready to go when the Chiefs gather again for the start of their offseason program in April.
WHAT WOULD A MUSLIM DO AS NFL COMMISSIONER? from Muslim Matters
The 2014 season was not a good one for Roger Goodell. His league generated negative press related to domestic violence and sexual assault cases, drug and alcohol abuse, brain injuries and long-term health problems, controversial officiating on the field, controversial conduct off the field, and the inexplicable existence of an NFL-approved racially insensitive nickname for the league's Washington D.C. franchise.
And that's not counting the NFL's quick escape from a potential religious discrimination scandal, which began when Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Husain Abdullah was flagged for an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty after performing the Islamic prostration known as sajdah during a "Monday Night Football" game in late September. The league responded within hours that Abdullah should not have been penalized and saved itself from another public-relations black eye.
Crowdsourcing The Super Bowl: Protest And People Power At The Big Game from Forbes
In June the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office pulled the trademark registration of Washington DC's NFL franchise over its offensive team nickname. Tomorrow, a large coalition of indigenous groups and native American civil rights organizations will protest the continued use of the racial term "redskins" by a football team in the nation's capital with a rally in downtown Phoenix. The hashtag for the protest is#NotYourMascot and the main organizer is Eradicating Offensive Native Mascotry, which has also led protests of the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Indians.
These teams let their fans down - one final time from The Monroe News Star
Such a story sends the inquisitive down other trails that lead to The Fan Who Loved Too Much. (To Eleanor's family, when you say, "I'm sorry for your loss," I wonder if they know whether we're talking about the loss of Eleanor or the loss to the Ravens. Or the loss of LeBeau. Or if it even matters anymore.)
A gentleman from the Midwest named Loren passed away in 2012 from complications of a longtime disease "and heartbreaking disappointment caused by the Kansas City Chiefs football team." I looked it up: The Chiefs were 1-8 at the time or Loren's death and had absorbed a 16-13 setback at Pittsburgh two days before his passing.
Probably it's for the best that Loren wasn't around this year; KC started out 7-3, won five straight - then lost to winless Oakland, and lost four of their final five games after that. Which means they have a lot in common, at this point, with Loren.
Shattuck: Radio row reflections from The Boston Herald
Christian Okoye, NFL great for the Kansas City Chiefs, co-founded Impactahero.org, which provides emotional and financial support for post 9/11 wounded combat vets.
Edwardsville's George Toma preparing 49th Super Bowl field from The Wilkes Barre Times-Leader
As he has been for all 48 Super Bowls played to date, Edwardsville native George Toma is in charge of getting the field ready for Super Bowl XLIX. He could care less about what the air pressure is for the footballs and whether New England quarterback Tom Brady will be able to take the air out of the Seattle defense, let alone the game balls.
Toma, who will turn 86 next week, has been in Glendale, Arizona, since Jan. 15 preparing the field at the University of Phoenix for Sunday's big game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks.
17 locals have been in Super Bowl from The Port Arthur News
Lincoln's Aaron Brown of the Kansas City Chiefs was the first. West Orange-Stark's Earl Thomas and West Brook's Christine Michael of the Seattle Seahawks are the most recent. In between, 11 more players from four other area high schools have been a part of Southeast Texas' impressive Super Bowl championship legacy.
It's 20 rings and counting, with Thomas and Michael hoping to add a couple more Sunday evening when the Seahawks tangle with New England in Glendale, Ariz. in Super Bowl XLIX...
...Brown, a defensive end who went North to play college football at a time when blacks were not welcome at schools in the South, matriculated from the University of Minnesota to the Chiefs in 1966 and had the distinction of playing in Super Bowl 1 as a rookie. The Chiefs got blown out by Vince Lombardi's Packers in that game, but were 23-7 victors three years later in Super Bowl IV against the Vikings.
A delusional fan's guide to claiming sporting superiority from The Prince Albert Daily Herald
You will watch it because it is the Super Bowl, the final spectacle of an NFL season and a spectacular orgy of American capitalistic interests.
And you will be told that the game is being played to determine which of the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will be crowned world champions.
Watch for the halftime show. Watch for the cute talking animals in the commercials.
But do not, dear reader, watch the game with the idea that on the field are the world's top two teams.
No, the title has already been claimed. Your top NFL team for 2015: the Kansas City Chiefs.