Will Shields is now a Hall of Famer

It is a beautiful night to be a Kansas City Chiefs fan. Former right guard Will Shields was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night, nine years after he played his final NFL game.

Shields played his entire career with the Chiefs, coming into the league in 1993 as a third-round pick out of the University of Nebraska. Shields was the epitome of consistency, making the Pro Bowl 12 consecutive seasons from 1995-2006 and starting 223 consecutive games. He is the best offensive lineman to ever grace Kansas City, the centerpiece of a line in the mid-2000’s with Willie Roaf and Brian Waters.

Shields blocked for a duo of 1,000-yard runners in Larry Johnson and Priest Holmes. Shields was a rookie the last time Kansas City won a playoff game, helping the Chiefs advance to the AFC Championship game with Joe Montana at the control.

Not only was Shields a tremendous player, he was and continues to be a great person. Shields won the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2003 and the Ed Block Courage award in 2005. It is perhaps these accomplishments that makes the Chiefs organization the most proud, a franchise that has long prided itself on being involved in the community.

Shields joins Jan Stenerud, Len Dawson, Hank Stram, Lamar Hunt, Emmitt Thomas, Curley Culp, Buck Buchanan, Derrick Thomas, Willie Lanier and Bobby Bell as other Chiefs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Soon, Tony Gonzalez will join them, and perhaps one day, so to will Jamaal Charles.

Congrats, Will. Well deserved.