Buffalo Bills Icon And NFL Hall Of Famer Tragically Dies From Hyponatremia

Billy Shaw Was An Important Player For The Bills In The 60s

Billy Shaw helped the Buffalo Bills win consecutive championships in the American Football League in the mid-60s and was a member of the 1999 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

“Billy Shaw holds 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 worthy of noting and nice to recite, it comes nowhere near providing the reason he was elected as a member of the Class of 1999,” Hall of Fame President & CEO Jim Porter said, per the Hall of Fame website. “Billy’s all-around athleticism brought a new dimension to the guard position and made the 1960s Buffalo Bills a formidable opponent capable of bruising opponents with a punishing rushing attack.

“And while Billy could be unforgiving to anyone in his way on the football field, he was the classic example of the ‘Southern gentleman’ off the field to everyone he encountered.” 

Billy Shaw was born in Natchez, Miss., in 1938. He played his high school football at Carr Central High School and went on to represent Georgia Tech as a two-way tackle.

He was drafted by the Bills, as well as the Dallas Cowboys, in 1961 but opted to play for Buffalo, where he would spend his entire nine-year career.

TPS offers condolences to Billy’s family, friends, and loved ones.

R.I.P. Billy Shaw – 1938-2024.