By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
In the mind of Kansas City Chiefs’ great Will Shields, he isn’t being inducted to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame on a technicality.
Former Chiefs great Will Shields (68) will be inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 13 in Topeka. [Photo courtesy of Kansas Sports Hall of Fame]
Born at Fort Riley in 1971, he spent just the first two years of his life there while his father was stationed at the Army base in the early 1970s before moving out of state. He gained fame as a football player on teams in Oklahoma, Nebraska and Missouri.
But Shields is quick to point out that, though the Chiefs technically are based in Missouri, he lived in Kansas throughout his NFL career and continues to make Kansas his home.
Shields spent most of his youth in Lawton, Okla. and is a member of the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. His number is retired by the University of Nebraska, where he was a highly decorated offensive lineman. But when he was drafted by the Chiefs in 1993, he put down roots in Kansas and currently resides in the Overland Park area.
“It’s a great thing for the place where you were born to give you that recognition. But also, the cool thing about it is that I feel like I am a Kansan because I spent over 30 years of my life in Kansas, including when I played (in the NFL),” Shields said. “The biggest part of my life was spent there and I’m part of the fabric of the community. My kids were born there and that’s where you built your adult life. That’s a deeper-rooted thing than just saying ‘I was born here.’ ”
Shields’ affinity for the Army in general, and Fort Riley specifically, is deep. He is proud of his father’s military service and he credits his mother for leading the family in Lawton while his father served three years in Germany.
“Outside my house, I have Big Red One rock which reminds me of where I was born,” Shields said. “That’s part of the lineage piece of where you came from. I’m proud to be part of the military world.”
After winning an Oklahoma state title at Lawton, Shields helped the Cornhuskers claim two Big 8 titles.
Will Shields, a 2024 Kansas Sports Hall of Fame inductee, was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2015. [Photo courtesy of Kansas Sports Hall of Fame]
An NFL championship eluded the Chiefs during his illustrious pro career. But Shields was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015, a few years before the Chiefs began their run of Super Bowls in 2019. Living in the Kansas City area, he has enjoyed watching the Chiefs’ successes up close.
“Because I live in Kansas and my foundation is here and we do work in the community, that helps for me to feel connected to the Chiefs organization. That gives me a chance to see some of the young guys and a lot of the old guys on a regular basis,” Shields said. “It’s really cool to be part of an organization that does great things. You can feel like, some way, somehow, you’re connected to it. You’re not directly the influence of it, that’s for sure. But you can always say that at one time you were part of an organization that’s doing great things.”
Shields said he looks forward to attending the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony Oct. 13 at Hotel Topeka City Center, located at 1717 Southwest Topeka Blvd.
“It means a lot to be recognized for where you were born,” Shields said. “It’s a little unique, I guess (to not have played in Kansas, technically). It’s really cool to be part of a group that has done cool things in Kansas.”
