Why Will Shields Should Write His Own Book

Will Shields Audio from Friday Press Conference in Canton

2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction Live Stream Info

Why Shields Delivers and Landed in Pro Football HOF

How Shields Views Whatever It Takes to Be Great

 

Randy York’s N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

Two months ago, Will Shields called me at home on my cell phone. He was, as always, cordial, understated and straight to the point. “Randy,” he said, “I’ve decided I want to write a book.” I was not surprised. For years, I’ve told Will that his story is unique, his philosophy rock-solid and his principles reflective of everything that Nebraska represents, athletically, academically and in life.

Will Shields should write a book, so he can pinpoint the values inherent in exceeding expectations and building success on the same kind of foundation he constructed. It’s true. In high school, at Nebraska and in the NFL, Shields looked around and saw countless athletes who were much more talented and athletic than he was.

That's why Shields always seeks what it takes to be great. He called me to ask permission to use content I've written in the book he’s writing. Through his incredible journey to the College Football Hall of Fame and his magic carpet ride to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the N-Sider has defined traits that Shields uses to achieve goals beyond what were deemed possible.

Seven Traits that Helped Shields Maximize His Accomplishments

Will Shields approached football with the same passion that Michael Phelps pursued the Olympics. He had that continuous drive to work relentlessly hard every day so he could develop the discipline that compounded itself over time and allowed him to trump what he always feared the most - a lack of the raw talent he saw even among his own high school teammates in Lawton, Okla. Shields became a master at activity explicitly intended to improve performance. He reached for objectives that were beyond his own level of competence.

Somehow, we were able to chronicle how and why Shields transformed himself from good to great in every area that he took on. We boiled it down to seven traits he had developed and mastered like no one else. They include 1) Will’s ability to be quietly proactive; 2) being tough as nails; 3) being as humble as they come; 4) being selfless in everything he does; 5) being consistent every play and every day; 6) staying true to his own mantra to clear the way for others to succeed and 7) having the goal to be highly successful in life.

Using his own personal compass to maximize and make the best use of every strength he’s been given and developed, Will is now one simple day from reaching a milestone that only two other Huskers have achieved in Nebraska’s first 125 seasons of football.

Friend Helps Shields with Gold Jacket and Will Present Him for Induction

Guy "The Champ" Chamberlin and Bob "Boomer" Brown are the only Huskers in history to be inducted into both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame. Saturday night, in Canton, Ohio, Shields becomes the third member of that illustrious group. On Thursday night, Shields received his unofficial induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the illustrious Gold Jacket ceremony. Adrian Lunsford, his childhood friend in Lawton, Okla., was in Canton to hand Will the most valuable possession in his lifetime wardrobe.

Lunceford also will present Shields in Saturday night's enshrinement ceremony, which can be accessed live online using this link. “You think about being a part of this unique, honorary group of guys that have accomplished great things in the field and now you can actually show it,” Shields said. “You know you get the chance to wear it every time you walk out and do these different things. We’ve worked hard to get here. All of the blood, sweat and tears are worth every minute of it because you’re part of a great group of men.”

Just like his remarkable record in college football where he was a first-team All-American offensive guard and won the Outland Trophy as the nation’s outstanding lineman, Shields pushed the envelope even more in the NFL. In 14 seasons, he made 12 Pro Bowls, made 224 consecutive starts and was named the 2003 NFL Man of the Year. When the NFL All-Decade Team was announced in the 2000s, Shields and his No. 68 jersey were on it. A third-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1993, Shields earned his first start in the second game of his rookie season and did not give up that starting spot until he retired in 2006.

Coolest Part of Hall of Fame Experience: Being Inducted with Tingelhoff

Historic moments are important to all major achievers, but Shields feels especially blessed knowing that he will be honored with a pro football offensive line legend that he knew nothing about. Shields, a guard, will be enshrined with fellow Husker Mick Tingelhoff, who’s 75 and 33 years older than Will, 44.

“I’m excited Mick's going in at the same time,” Shields said of Tingelhoff. “He’s one of those guys in Husker history who sort of got lost. As Husker linemen, we build ourselves on tradition, and he was a true iron man.”

Talk about rarities. In the history of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a single college/university had delivered multiple inductees in the same year only three times, but this year that number almost doubles. In addition to Tingelhoff's and Shields' joint inductions, the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame class includes Jerome Bettis and Tim Brown from Notre Dame.

Nebraska's Culture, Work Ethic Elevated Every Level of Shields' Life

When Shields was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011, he returned to Lincoln and received a thunderous roar of appreciation from Memorial Stadium during his introduction. Milt Tenopir, his offensive line coach (above right) and Dave Rimington (above left) congratulated Will on the field. Shields always maintained that Nebraska's culture and work ethic elevated every level of his life, athletically, academically and in the community.

"I was not one of those blue-chip, star-studded guys," Shields told me. "I was someone who needed development and knew it. The biggest key for me was the strong emphasis on academics. I knew I needed rigor and structure and knew that Nebraska had a system in place that would help me grow as a student, an athlete and a man."

Will's greatness is reflected in how he distinguishes himself. "Will's hand was one the first that went up when we started TeamMates (a mentoring organization)," said Tom Osborne, who recruited Shields. "Will probably stayed with that program better than anyone. He even stayed in touch with his mentee when he left for the NFL."

Will's Nebraska Experience Prepared Him for NFL's Highest Honor

In Kansas City, Shields (pictured above at Friday's Pro Football Hall of Fame Press Conference) serves on a bank board of directors. He also owns and operates a training facility called 68 Inside Sports and spends time on his "Will to Succeed Foundation" that targets literacy and scholarship, fosters creativity and serves and helps abused and neglected women and children.

Whatever Will Shields writes in his book will include wisdom that stretches well beyond his competiive successes. "I played a professional sport and made a living out of it," he said. "To me, that's the icing on the cake...the end-all, be-all. I got a chance to play a game I played as a little kid. I got to play it as an adult. You can't ask for more."

Shields' on-the-field success influenced his off-the-field contributions. "Will follows through in everything he does," Osborne said. "He's contributed a lot to humanity. That NFL Man of the Year Award fits him well."

So does the Pro Football Hall of Fame honor, the ultimate definition of his own will to succeed.

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