 Shell at training camp in 1984 | |||||||||||
| No. 31 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Safety | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | (1952-08-26)August 26, 1952 (age 73) Whitmire, South Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Whitmire | ||||||||||
| College | South Carolina State | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1974: undrafted | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Donnie Shell (born August 26, 1952) is an American former professionalfootball player who was asafety for thePittsburgh Steelers of theNational Football League (NFL) between 1974 and 1987. Shell was a member of the Steelers famedSteel Curtain defense in the 1970s.
Shell retired as the NFL strong safety career leader ininterceptions with 51. He started 11 consecutive seasons for the Steelers and was selected to the Steelers All-Time Team, theCollege Football Hall of Fame, thePro Football Hall of Fame (Class of 2020), and to the NFL Silver Anniversary Super Bowl Team.
Shell grew up in the town ofWhitmire, South Carolina. He played on the Whitmire High School football team, where in his senior season as a linebacker, his team did not allow a single touchdown by opponents. Shell played college football forWillie Jeffries atSouth Carolina State University, where he was teammates with futureNew York Giants and Hall of FamelinebackerHarry Carson and earnedAll-American and all conference honors. He was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1998.[1] Shell was signed undrafted by the Steelers, where he played his entire career, winning four Super Bowls with the Steeler teams of the 1970s.
Shell is a member ofGroove Phi Groove.
Shell was a five-timePro Bowler between 1978 and 1982, a 4-time All-Pro selection, and was the Steelers team MVP in 1980. He saved several possible touchdowns inSuper Bowl XIII andSuper Bowl XIV. He had been in the top 15 in balloting for thePro Football Hall of Fame once before, in 2002 but with no success.[2] TheProfessional Football Researchers Association named Shell to the PRFA Hall of Very Good Class of 2013.[3]
In 2019, despite not being in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he was chosen as a finalist for the NFL's100th Anniversary Team.[4]
Shell resides inRock Hill, South Carolina and was theCarolina Panthers director of player development from 1994 to 2009.[5]
He played in 201 games for the Steelers, fifth most in franchise history behindBen Roethlisberger (249),Mike Webster (220),Hines Ward (217), andCameron Heyward (211).[6]
On January 15, 2020, Shell was announced as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Centennial Class of 2020. He was inducted byTony Dungy, one of Shell's teammates on the Steelers and later a Hall of Fame coach.[7]
Shell previously served as Director of Spiritual Life atJohnson C. Smith University inCharlotte, North Carolina. He currently lives in South Carolina and has three children and three grandchildren.