The bad guys in sports get all the headlines, whether locally, with Larry Johnson allegedly tossing his ex-girlfriend around, or nationally, with rumors of San Francisco slugger Barry Bonds' juicing. But anyone searching for an athlete with a heart of gold need look no further than 320-pound guard Will Shields. The 14-year NFL veteran's list of good deeds runs long. His most prominent off-field act of benevolence was starting the Will Shields Foundation in 1993 to help "abused, battered and neglected women and children." In 13 years, the foundation has helped more than 100,000 people. The big lug's deck of get-into-heaven cards includes being named Philanthropist of the Year in 2005 by the Kansas City Council of Philanthropy, receiving the Tribute to a Champion Award in 2004 from the Midwest Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and winning the Kansas City Spirit Award in 2004. Shields has also been named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in 2003 and NFL Good Guy of the Year in 2001. And Pro Football Weekly awarded him the Arthur S. Arkush Humanitarian Award in 1999. He sits on the board of the Kansas City Stop Violence Coalition. If that weren't selfless enough, Shields also blocks for Larry Johnson.
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