Billy Shaw, Hall of Fame guard and Bills legend, dead at 85

Pro Football Hall of Fame defender and Buffalo Bills fable Billy Shaw, who helped pb his squad to back-to-back championships successful the AFL, died connected Friday. He was 85. 

Shaw, a fable at Georgia Tech, passed distant surrounded by household astatine his location successful Toccoa, Ga., the Hall of Fame confirmed successful a statement. According to the family, hyponatremia was cited arsenic his origin of death. 

(L-R) #12 Daryle Lamonica, #30 Wray Carlton, #66 Billy Shaw, #78 Jim Harris, #77 Stew Barber, #86 Verlon Biggs during the New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills crippled astatine Shea Stadium successful Flushing, New York, connected December 19, 1965. (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

"Billy Shaw holds the favoritism of being the lone subordinate of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to play his full vocation successful the American Football League, but portion that information is worthy of noting and bully to recite, it comes obscurity adjacent providing the crushed helium was elected arsenic a subordinate of the Class of 1999," Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said.

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"Billy’s all-around athleticism brought a caller magnitude to the defender presumption and made the 1960s Buffalo Bills a formidable hostile susceptible of bruising opponents with a punishing rushing attack," Porter continued. "And portion Billy could beryllium unforgiving to anyone successful his mode connected the shot field, helium was the classical illustration of the ‘Southern gentlemen’ disconnected the tract to everyone helium encountered."

Shaw was calved successful Natchez, Miss., wherever helium began his shot vocation astatine Carr Central High School. He would spell connected to play astatine Georgia Tech, wherever helium was an All-American, two-way player. 

Billy Shaw is introduced earlier the inaugural Pro Football Hall of Fame Fan Fest connected Friday, May 2, 2014, astatine the International Exposition Center successful Cleveland.  (AP Photo/Mark Duncan, File)

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Shaw was drafted by 2 teams successful 1961 – the Bills and the Dallas Cowboys – who played successful the then-rival National Football League. But knowing the Cowboys' tendency to person him play defense, Shaw signed with the AFL, wherever helium would spell connected to go a Bills legend. 

In his 9 seasons, Shaw was an eight-time All-Star, a five-time All-AFL selection, and helped the Bills to back-to-back AFL championships from 1964-1965. He retired the twelvemonth earlier the merger successful 1970. 

Boston Patriots' Houston Antwine (65) successful enactment vs Buffalo Bills defender Billy Shaw (66) successful Chestnut Hill, Mass. connected Nov. 23, 1969. (Dick Raphael/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

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"I'm devastated to larn of Billy Shaw's passing," Georgia Tech shot manager Brent Key said successful a connection connected Friday.  

"Billy was precise peculiar to maine personally, and precise peculiar to the Georgia Tech shot family. He was 1 of the champion linemen to ever play the crippled of football, but an adjacent amended man. He represented everything it means to beryllium a Tech Man. We volition miss him terribly. On behalf of the full Georgia Tech shot family, I nonstop our precise deepest condolences to his wife, Patsy, their daughters, Cindy, Cathy and Cheryl, his grandson and my precise beloved friend, Jake Thornton, and the full Shaw family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them tonight."

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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