Will Shields - The Gladiator

Sep 22, 2004, 5:00:59 AM by Pete Moris

Chiefs nine-time Pro Bowl guard Will Shields received the prestigious “Gladiator” statue as the winner of the 2003 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award which recognized both his off-the-field community service, as well as his playing excellence. The term “gladiator” is a particularly appropriate descriptor for Shields, who shows no signs of slowing down in his 12th NFL campaign.

For some, the term gladiator evokes images of armor-clad, shield-baring Roman warriors waging battle in the Coliseum. For others, the word may have more modern connotations associated with professional wrestling and the theatrics of other made-for-TV, pseudo-athletic competitions.

But for devoted fans of the Kansas City Chiefs looking for the personification of a gladiator, there is no need to look any further than nine-time Pro Bowl G Will Shields, who often does his best work under the most hazardous or most difficult of circumstances.

On the football field, Shields plies his trade on the line of scrimmage, or to use pigskin vernacular, “the pit.” Shields is entering his 12th professional season amidst the noise, violence and brutality which is the point of attack on gameday. He is a master of his craft at the right guard position, earning nine consecutive invitations to the NFL’s annual All-Star Game at that spot. In fact, should he merit another Pro Bowl berth this season, he’d become the first player in Kansas City history to receive that honor for a 10th time. According to Chiefs head coach Dick Vermeil, Shields has no peer at his position.

“He’s amazing,” Vermeil recently asserted without hesitation. “Will Shields is truly special. He is a machine. I expect him to play every bit as well at his age this year as he did last year.”

In terms of his philanthropic work, Shields also goes where few others fear to tread. Without question, the Chiefs are among the NFL’s leading teams in terms of community involvement. But Shields has taken his efforts to an entirely different level. Since Shields and his wife Senia formed “The Will to Succeed Foundation” in ‘93, over 97,000 individuals have directly benefited from the foundation’s work, including some of the poorest of the poor in inner-city Kansas City.

Among one of the many causes championed by “The Will to Succeed Foundation” has been Operation Breakthrough. This non-profit day care and social service center serves 550 of the poorest children in the city ranging from age six weeks to 12 years. The sad and staggering demographics of these children are as formidable as any frothing defensive tackle Shields will ever face – 25 percent of the children served are homeless and 40 percent in foster care because of abuse.

Operation Breakthrough is just one of a myriad of charitable causes supported by the Shields’ foundation. Their level of support for Operation Breakthrough is indicative of how they assist other agencies throughout Kansas City.

When they get involved, they get involved.

First, they take a very personal interest in the organization and make a hands-on commitment. Senia serves on Operation Breakthrough’s Board of Directors. Both Will and Senia volunteer at the facility on a regular basis and receive periodic progress reports on Operation Breakthrough’s efforts. Secondly, they make a very meaningful financial commitment. In addition to regular operational support, “The Will to Suceed Foundation” and NFL Charities have helped finance a new fire suppression and sprinkler system to bring the building up to code, not to mention a computer lab and a library.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, when the Shields’ get involved in a cause, they get others involved. At Senia’s suggestion, the Chiefs wives adopted Operation Breakthrough as a service project last season. Every Wednesday, a regular group of Chiefs wives volunteer at the center. Over 25 wives have volunteered their services on a regular basis at Operation Breakthrough, including Carol Vermeil, wife of the Chiefs head coach.

“It’s amazing how far Operation Breakthrough has come,” says Will. “It’s the only government-supported child care center in inner-city Kansas City. It’s basically run by two nuns - Sister Bertha and Sister Corrita. Both of them take home six kids each night and during the day they have actually recruited grandmothers to come in and help them with the children. It’s an amazing place and we’re proud to have helped them grow.”

In addition to watching their own family grow since arriving in Kansas City in ‘93 – the couple have a daughter and two sons – the Shields’ have witnessed Will’s stature increase, both as a player and as an NFL leader in the community.

“I was truly humbled to receive the 2003 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, an honor that I proudly shared with my wife Senia and the many, many people who have helped the ‘Will to Succeed Foundation’ touch so many lives over the years,” Shields said at Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston. “To be presented with this honor by Commissioner Tagliabue and to have Lamar Hunt, Carl Peterson and so many of my teammates present to share that moment was truly a once-in-a-lifetime event. I feel a tremendous obligation to continue to set a positive example for players around the league after receiving this accolade, joining the prestigious likes of previous Chiefs winners Willie Lanier, Len Dawson and Derrick Thomas.”

Shields’ recognition as the NFL’s top player-citizen marked a culmination of a mission whose humble roots can be traced back to his playing days at the University of Nebraska.

“My motivation for establishing the ‘Will To Succeed Foundation’ started in my early days as a college athlete under the influence of legendary University of Nebraska coach Tom Osborne,” Shields recalled. “As I entered my sophomore year, Coach Osborne asked me to participate in a mentoring program for youth. Through this experience I learned the value of community service and how one-on-one supportive relationships can positively affect young people.”

When one considers some of Shields’ remarkable feats of durability in the NFL, it’s easy to forget that this proud Cornhusker was once a young pro player himself, let alone the Outland Trophy winner as the top lineman in collegiate football in ‘92. Consider the following stats and it’s not hard to see why Shields has been a cornerstone of stability for the Chiefs franchise for the past 11 seasons:

• Shields is the longest-tenured player on the Kansas City roster, arriving as a third-round draft choice in ‘93, giving him a full two-year edge over FB Tony Richardson who didn’t join the club until ‘95.
  
  
• Among active NFL players, only Green Bay QB Brett Favre (190) has started more consecutive games than Shields (176).
  
  
• Shields has played in 177 games and needs to see action in just seven more games to surpass QB Len Dawson (183) for the most games of regular season action by a non-kicker in Chiefs history. That would place Shields third on Kansas City’s all-time games played chart behind only K Nick Lowery (212) and P Jerrel Wilson (203).

“There’s no way to prepare for longevity,” Shields nonchalantly remarked on his durability. “I’ve been lucky. I’ve been fortunate to be able to overcome the little nicks and bruises that I’ve had in the past, yet still move on to the future.”

Shields’ humility is genuine, but so is the level of admiration he commands across the Chiefs organization, from players, coaches to the administration and staff.

“Of all the players that we have had here in my 15 years, I don’t know of an individual and his wife who have contributed so much – and in so many ways – to the Kansas City community,” said Chiefs President Carl Peterson. “On top of his nine Pro Bowl selections, his performance on the field is over-shadowed only by his performance off the field.”

Making Shields’ on-field feats even more impressive is the fact that he was once the junior member of the venerable “law firm” of Grunhard, Szott and Shields. That trio of interior linemen – C Tim Grunhard, G Dave Szott and Shields – was an institution in Kansas City during the ‘90s under head coach Marty Schottenheimer.

Even during his youthful days, the elder members of the “law firm” spoke of Shields with a reverence and a respect often reserved for their retired peers. The qualities that his teammates respected about Shields a decade ago still resonate with relevance.

“Most people don’t see all there is to see with Will because he’s usually so soft-spoken,” Szott commented in ‘98. “But he’s a very intelligent guy. He’d rather say very little and have a walk-softly-and-carry-a-big-stick attitude. But just about any topic you want to discuss, he can join in.

“As a player, I respect his intensity and his recoverability,” Szott continued. “He’s so quick and has such balance. As a person, you have to respect his devotion to his family. He’s a family guy. He’s not afraid to live that role and be public with that role.”

“I’ve got a lot of respect for Will and I hope he has the same for me,” added Grunhard in ‘99. “Every team needs a guy with a big mouth, who screams and yells and does things like that. That’s kind of my niche. Will is definitely a leader by example. He’s a hard-working guy who has really stepped up and become a great player.”

Several seasons later with a cast of new characters, a new coaching staff and an entirely different offensive philosophy, the Chiefs offensive line is once again regarded as one of the finest in football thanks in large part to Shields, who is influencing a whole new generation of teammates. It hasn’t taken long for the newest starter on Kansas City’s offensive front – T John Welbourn, who was acquired in an off-season trade with Philadelphia – to express his appreciation and admiration of Shields.

“Playing guard, I was always a big set-punch guy who would always hit a guy hard and tended to play really smash-mouth football,” Welbourn said in a recent interview with Dennis Dillon of The Sporting News. “That was my style. Will has about 10 different styles and 10 different moves and he mixes it up all the time. After being around him, you can see why the guy is a nine-time Pro Bowler and a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame.”

No doubt, a plethora of honors likely await Shields upon the conclusion of his playing career, whenever that day may come.

Induction into the Chiefs Hall of Fame and a place on the ring of honor on the façade of Arrowhead Stadium is a virtual certainty. While spots in the Pro Football Hall of Fame are few and far between – especially for guards – the thought of Shields’ bust some day residing in Canton, Ohio is a definite possibility.

But those accolades will have to wait.
There are still blocks to make.
There are still children to help.

There is no rest for “The Gladiator,” who quietly continues his quest to help the Chiefs win the NFL’s ultimate prize, while continuing to set a stellar example in terms of his service in the community.

Simply put, no player sets the standard better than Will Shields, a gladiator in the truest sense of the term.

The opinions offered in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the Kansas City Chiefs.

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A 15-year veteran of the Chiefs, Moris is the associate director of public relations for the team and contributes an in-depth examination of each upcoming game Tuesdays in-season.