Nebraska football Hall of Famer Will Shields honored with prestigious Big Ten award
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Nebraska Hall of Fame offensive lineman Will Shields was honored by the Big Ten Conference on Tuesday.
Shields was selected as this year’s recipient of the Big Ten’s Dungy-Thompson Humanitarian Award.
The award recognizes a Big Ten football student-athlete who has achieved success in humanitarianism following their career at a Big Ten university.
Shields and his wife, Senia, are the founders of the Will to Success Foundation, which organizes programs and provides assistance to individuals, families, and other charitable organizations who have little to no access to other aid.
The foundation has helped over 100,000 people and has raised millions of dollars since its inception in 1993.
Both Will and Senia take an interest in mentoring the women and children who benefit most from their contributions.
Shields starred as an offensive guard for Nebraska from 1989 to 1992, helping the Huskers to consecutive conference titles in 1991 and 1992.
The Hall of Famer won the 1992 Outland Trophy as the nation’s best interior lineman and was a three-time first-team All-Big Eight selection for Coach Tom Osborne.
He went on to spend 14 years with the Kansas City Chiefs, a career that included seven All-Pro selections.
His efforts off the field earned him the 2003 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
A member of both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame, Shields was inducted into the Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016 and is a member of the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame.
Shields is Nebraska’s first recipient of the prestigious Big Ten award.
The last 15 award recipients are as follows:
- 2011 – George Taliaferro, Indiana
- 2012 – Chris Spielman, Ohio State
- 2013 – Drew Brees, Purdue
- 2014 – Brian Griese, Michigan
- 2015 – John Shinsky, Michigan State
- 2016 – Trent Green, Indiana
- 2017 – Chad Greenway, Iowa
- 2018 – Jake Wood, Wisconsin
- 2019 – J.J. Watt, Wisconsin
- 2020 – Vincent Smith, Michigan
- 2021 – Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State
- 2022 – Nate Sudfield, Indiana
- 2023 – Dick Butkus, Illinois
- 2024 – Madieu Williams, Maryland
- 2025 – Will Shields, Nebraska
For more information on the award, visit the Big Ten’s website.
