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Will Shields bucked several trends when he arrived in the fall of 1989 to play football at the University of Nebraska.
Shields came to NU from Lawton, Okla., at a time when the Cornhuskers' rivalry with the Oklahoma Sooners was at its peak. He was the Huskers' first recruit from the state of Oklahoma.
Freshmen offensive linemen also usually redshirted. Shields played extensively as a backup on the '89 team that went 10-2 and finished second in the Big Eight.
Over the next three years, Shields went on to become a part of Nebraska's legendary tradition of linemen. He won the Outland Trophy and was a consensus All-American as a senior 1992, and in 1990, he became the first Nebraska offensive lineman since Dave Rimington in 1980 to earn All-Big Eight honors as a sophomore.
World-Herald readers voted Shields, a three-time All-Big Eight pick, No. 18 on the list of the 50 Greatest Huskers of the Century.
NU Offensive Line Coach Milt Tenopir said Shields made an impact as a freshman.
"We had a void that year for back-up players and he took advantage of that," Tenopir said. "He played at an early age and played very well. Will played with a great deal of enthusiasm and he stood out."
Shields became deft at both run blocking and pass blocking schemes. Having those all-around skills has helped Shields enjoy a successful professional football career. Shields currently starts at guard for the Kansas City Chiefs, the team that drafted him in the third round of the 1993 NFL draft.
"I've never had a kid around who had the focus he had at an early age," Tenopir said. "He was a quiet guy who was tremendously competitive. He earned an award (the Outland Trophy) for what he did on the field.
"Will was never a guy to strike up a conversation at length. But in his own quiet way, he got his point across."
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