Billy Shields spent most of his NFL career with the San Diego Chargers after they selected the Georgia Tech tackle in the sixth round of the 1975 draft. He played mostly as a backup as a rookie, then won the starting left tackle job the following year and held it through the prime of the Air Coryell era. From 1976 through 1983, he was the consistent presence on Dan Fouts’ blind side, giving the quarterback the time he needed to survey the field and launch the deep throws that defined those offenses. He never made a Pro Bowl, but he posted three seasons with an Approximate Value of at least 10 and rarely missed games, anchoring an offensive line that helped the Chargers become one of the league’s most productive passing attacks.

He was a tall, long-armed tackle who relied more on technique and positioning than pure athleticism, and he held up well enough against the pass rushers of the era to keep Fouts upright through the team’s most explosive seasons. The Chargers reached the playoffs multiple times during his run, and Shields helped protect the franchise’s signature air attack. He remained a starter through the 1983 season before a contract dispute led to his departure.

After leaving San Diego, he played brief stints with the 49ers, Chiefs, and Jets in 1984 and 1985. Over his nine years with the Chargers, he started most of his games and provided the steady left-tackle play that let Fouts and the rest of the offense operate at a high level for nearly a decade.

He was later inducted into the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame, but he never received the same recognition from the Chargers. Still, the sixth-round pick who locked down left tackle for most of the Air Coryell years remains one of the more durable and reliable offensive linemen the franchise had in that era.