Billy Shaw, former Buffalo Bills player, dies
He is the only Hall of Famer who never played in the NFL after the league's merger with the AFL. He was 85 years old.
Billy Shaw (right), in 1999
Former American Football League (AFL) Buffalo Bills player and NFL Hall of Famer Billy Shaw died due to hyponatremia, a significant lack of sodium in the blood, his family said. He was 85.
He is the only Hall of Famer who never played in the NFL, as he played in the AFL. A year after his retirement, The AFL and NFL merged.
"Billy Shaw holds the distinction of being the only member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to play his entire career in the American Football League, but while that fact is worthy of noting and nice to recite, it comes nowhere near providing the reason he was elected as a member of the Class of 1999," said Jim Porter, president of the Hall of Fame.
Shaw played solely for the Bills during his career, from 1961 through 1969. He won the AFL championship twice and was an eight-time AFL All Star selection.
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