Robert Shaw (American football)
Encyclopedia
Robert Leslie Shaw is a retired American football
center
in the National Football League
for the Dallas Cowboys
from 1979 to 1981. He played college football
at the University of Tennessee
. Mr. Shaw suffered a knee injury and had to stop playing football
. He then went back to college and earned a degree in architectural design and management.
and played varsity football
for three years and was a Parade All-America
n and all-state selection in his senior season of 1975.
He went on to play college football
at Tennessee University where he earned a letter as a reserve his freshman year and then came on strong to capture a starting spot in 1977.
He earned all-Southeastern Conference
honors in 1978 and 1979 playing center
.
Former Dallas Cowboys
special teams coach Joe Avezzano
, was his offensive coordinator
during that time.
in the first round of the 1979 NFL Draft
. This was only the second time the Cowboys used a first round pick on an offensive lineman. The first time was in the 1966 NFL Draft
when hey selected John Niland
.
Shaw began his career backing up John Fitzgerald at center
and showed promise.
In 1981
he became the starting center
, but three games into his third season, he blew out his right knee in a win against the New England Patriots
.
He tried to come back for 20 months but he was never able to pass the team's physical and retired.
Shaw was expected to anchor the Cowboys offensive line for several years, but his knee injury ended his promising career. He played in just 33 games over a 3 year career with the Cowboys.
After Shaw's injury, Tom Rafferty
was moved from guard
and became the Cowboys starting center
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
from 1979 to 1981. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
. Mr. Shaw suffered a knee injury and had to stop playing football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
. He then went back to college and earned a degree in architectural design and management.
Early years
Robert Shaw attended Joseph Wheeler High SchoolJoseph Wheeler High School
Wheeler High School is located in northeast Cobb County, Georgia, USA. It is near the city of Marietta, about northwest of downtown Atlanta. Wheeler has been in operation since 1965...
and played varsity football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
for three years and was a Parade All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n and all-state selection in his senior season of 1975.
He went on to play college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Tennessee University where he earned a letter as a reserve his freshman year and then came on strong to capture a starting spot in 1977.
He earned all-Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
honors in 1978 and 1979 playing center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
.
Former Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
special teams coach Joe Avezzano
Joe Avezzano
Joe Avezzano is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Oregon State University from 1980 to 1984, compiling a record of 6–47–2...
, was his offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
during that time.
Professional career
Shaw was selected by the Dallas CowboysDallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
in the first round of the 1979 NFL Draft
1979 NFL Draft
The 1979 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 3–4, 1979...
. This was only the second time the Cowboys used a first round pick on an offensive lineman. The first time was in the 1966 NFL Draft
1966 NFL Draft
The 1966 National Football League Draft was held on November 27, 1965. It was the last draft in which the NFL and the AFL drafted their players separate of one another. As a result, many players selected by teams from both leagues would choose to play for the more established NFL, or in a rarer...
when hey selected John Niland
John Niland
John Rodney Niland AC is an Australian academic and company director. He is currently on the Board of Macquarie Group and Macquarie Bank. Niland obtained a Bachelor and Master of Commerce from the University of New South Wales and was President of the University Union and Students Union when he...
.
Shaw began his career backing up John Fitzgerald at center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
and showed promise.
In 1981
1981 NFL season
The 1981 NFL season was the 62nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVI when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.-Major rule changes:...
he became the starting center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
, but three games into his third season, he blew out his right knee in a win against the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
.
He tried to come back for 20 months but he was never able to pass the team's physical and retired.
Shaw was expected to anchor the Cowboys offensive line for several years, but his knee injury ended his promising career. He played in just 33 games over a 3 year career with the Cowboys.
After Shaw's injury, Tom Rafferty
Tom Rafferty
Thomas Michael Rafferty is a former American football offensive lineman in the NFL. He attended Fayetteville-Manlius High School in Manlius, New York, and went on to start four years for coach Joe Paterno at Penn State University earning All-American honors in 1975.-Early years:Rafferty attended...
was moved from guard
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
and became the Cowboys starting center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
.