Legendary Buffalo Bills OG Billy Shaw passes away at age 85

Billy Shaw, the celebrated former Buffalo Bills offensive guard during their formative AFL years and 1999 NFL Hall of Fame inductee, died on Friday, October 4 at the age of 85. Shaw has the unique distinction of being the only member of the Hall of Fame. Fame to play his entire career in the AFL, spending all nine seasons with Buffalo from 1961-1969.

Surrounded at his bedside in Tocca, Georgia by his wife and three daughters in his final moments, Shaw reportedly died after a battle with hyponatremia, a condition that occurs when sodium levels in the blood are too low.

Shaw’s greatness came during an exciting era for professional football in the United States, when the fledgling AFL offshoot began to show an evolved level of play with plenty of passing fireworks. But Shaw was most remembered for what he brought to the Bills as a fiery and bruising blocker in the trenches.

Depictions of Shaw’s greatness often show a man dedicated to his craft and willing to do whatever it takes to free those tasked with running after him. Before playing for the Bills, Shaw was an accomplished two-way player who also excelled as a defensive tackle in high school and college.

In addition to his induction into the NFL Hall of Fame, Billy Shaw is a member of the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame (inducted 1979), the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame (inducted 1985) and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame (inducted 1996 ). . He is also a member of the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame (inducted in 1994), the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame (inducted in 1988), and in 2009 he was named to the Bills’ 50th Anniversary Team.

Shaw will be fondly remembered by those he left behind, including his family, his former teammates and professional colleagues, and the countless Bills Mafia fans who loved what he brought to the grid.