Position: Center High school: Joseph Wheeler (GA) Weight: 245 lb (111 kg) | Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Name Robert Shaw | |
Date of birth: (1956-10-15) October 15, 1956 (age 59) | ||
Place of birth: Tuscaloosa, Alabama | ||
Robert Leslie Shaw (born October 15, 1956 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama) is a former American football center in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Tennessee.
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Early years
Shaw attended Joseph Wheeler High School and played varsity football for three years, receiving All-American, state football lineman of the year and All-state honors in his senior season of 1975. He also practiced basketball and swimming.
He went on to play college football at Tennessee University, where he was a three-year starter at center, and earned second-team All-SEC honors in 1977 and 1978. Future Dallas Cowboys special teams coach Joe Avezzano, was his offensive coordinator.
As a senior, he was named one of the co-captains and received the team's Mickey O’Brien award. He also started in the East–West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl.
Professional career
Shaw was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round (27th overall) 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 the team selected John Niland.
As a rookie, he was a backup to John Fitzgerald at center and played mainly on special teams. After Fitzgerald injured his knee in the first half against the Washington Redskins, Shaw finished the game and played well enough to be named the starter for the next game against the Houston Oilers in Thanksgiving, while Fitzgerald recovered.
In 1980, after Fitzgerald injured his knee, he became the starting center for the last five regular season games and three contests in the playoffs where he excelled.
Two games into his third season in 1981, he sprained his right knee against the Saint Louis Cardinals. He returned after sitting out three weeks, only to have the same knee torned in the sixth game of the season against the San Francisco 49ers. 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 was named the starting center.
Personal life
After his football career was over, he went back to college and earned a degree in architectural design and management. He became a vice president, working directly under Bob Breunig in the SBC development company.