For fourteen seasons, Will Shields was the heart, soul, and backbone of the Chiefs’ offense during the 1990s and early 2000s. Drafted in 1993, Shield’s legendary career began with high expectations to protect HOF quarterback Joe Montana, who signed with Kansas City during the same off-season. Shields quickly became the anchor within the interior of the Chiefs’ offensive line after starting his second game in the league. He has never missed a game since.
From Lawton, Oklahoma, Shields joined a long line of outstanding offensive linemen at the University of Nebraska in 1989. In his first season as a Husker, Shields became the second offensive lineman to start as a true freshman, playing in nine games. As a sophomore, he was the first lineman since College Football Hall of Famer Dave Rimington to earn First All-Conference honors for Nebraska and helped the program lead the Big Eight in total offense, rushing, and scoring.
In 1991, Shields’ junior season, he helped NU rank first in the Big Eight conference in rushing offense and total offense. He became the unanimous selection to the All-Big Eight team and a second All-American. As a senior, Shields received votes for Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year and earned All-America honors from Kodak, AP, UPI, Walter Camp, and Football News. Following a stellar college career, Shields’ number 75 was retired at Nebraska’s 1994 Spring Game.
Shields didn’t hear his name called until Day 2 of the 1993 NFL Draft, where he was taken 74th overall in the third round by the Kansas City Chiefs. He began his career with the plan of being a backup behind starting left guard Dave Szott, but the days of being a benchwarmer ended during the very first game of the ’93 season when Szott went down due to injury. The following week, the Chiefs reshuffled the o-line combination by inserting Shields at right guard in place of veteran Danny Villa. Shields never missed a single start until his retirement fourteen seasons later.
Shield’s Chiefs won the AFC West Division with an 11-5 record at the end of his rookie season, the first division championship in the franchise’s history since the 1971 campaign. During Shields’ career, Kansas City won the division four times and made six postseason appearances.
In 1994, Shields and his linemates established a franchise record, allowing just 19 sacks all season.
In 1995, Shields made his first Pro Bowl that began a stretch of 12 consecutive AFC-NFC Pro Bowl appearances that ran through the end of his career. Shields earned First Team All-Pro honors in 1999, 2002, and 2003 and Second Team All-Pro on four other occasions. He was also named an All-Conference player in 1996 and in each of his final six seasons (2001-2006).
During the early 00s, Shields was a staple for one of the league’s most potent offensive attacks during that era of the NFL. Five of the Chiefs’ seasons with the most net yardage occurred during Shields’ tenor. He and his linemates, Willie Roaf, Brian Waters, Casey Weigmann, and John Welbourn, helped Kansas City lead the NFL in total offense in 2004 and 2005 and led the AFC in that category in 2003. The team led the league in scoring in 2002 and 2003, highlighted by running back Priest Holmes’ then-record of 27 rushing touchdowns following the ’03 season.
Shields retired at the end of the 2006 season, and his 224 games played and 223 starts were franchise records that stood until the 2019 season when punter Dustin Colquitt shattered them by appearing in 238 games in his Chiefs career.
Will Shields is a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2000s and joined Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Thomas as the only active players to be named to the Chiefs’ 40th Anniversary Team. He was inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Honor in 2012 and was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
