View source for Donnie Shell

{{Short description|American football player (born 1952)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| image         = DonnieShell1984.jpg
| caption       = Shell at training camp in 1984
| position      = [[Safety (football position)|Safety]]
| number        = 31
| birth_date    = {{birth date and age|1952|8|26}}
| birth_place   = [[Whitmire, South Carolina]], U.S.
| height_ft     = 5
| height_in     = 11
| weight_lbs    = 190
| undraftedyear = 1974
| high_school   = Whitmire
| college       = [[South Carolina State Bulldogs football|South Carolina State]]
| teams         = * [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] ({{NFL Year|1974}}–{{NFL Year|1987}})
| highlights    = * 4× [[List of Super Bowl champions|Super Bowl champion]] ([[Super Bowl IX|IX]], [[Super Bowl X|X]], [[Super Bowl XIII|XIII]], [[Super Bowl XIV|XIV]])
* 3× First-team [[All-Pro]] ([[1979 All-Pro Team|1979]], [[1980 All-Pro Team|1980]], [[1982 All-Pro Team|1982)]]
* Second-team All-Pro ([[1981 All-Pro Team|1981]])
* 5× [[Pro Bowl]] ([[1979 Pro Bowl|1978]]–[[1983 Pro Bowl|1982]])
* [[Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Team]]
* [[Pittsburgh Steelers#Hall of Honor|Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Honor]]
* [[Pittsburgh Pro Football Hall of Fame]]
| statlabel1    = [[Interception]]s
| statvalue1    = 51
| statlabel2    = INT yards
| statvalue2    = 490
| statlabel3    = [[Fumbles|Fumble recoveries]]
| statvalue3    = 19
| statlabel4    = [[Touchdowns|Defensive touchdowns]]
| statvalue4    = 4
| pfr           = ShelDo00
| CollegeHOF    = 1988
| HOF           = donnie-shell
}}

'''Donnie Shell''' (born August 26, 1952) is an American former professional [[American football|football]] player who was a [[Safety (football position)|safety]] for the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL) between 1974 and 1987. Shell was a member of the Steelers famed [[Steel Curtain]] defense in the 1970s.

Shell retired as the NFL strong safety career leader in [[interception]]s with 51. He started 11 consecutive seasons for the Steelers and was selected to the Steelers All-Time Team, the [[College Football Hall of Fame]], the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] (Class of 2020), and to the NFL Silver Anniversary Super Bowl Team.

== Early life and college==
Shell grew up in the town of [[Whitmire, 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 for [[Willie Jeffries]] at [[South Carolina State University]], where he was teammates with future [[New York Giants]] and Hall of Fame [[linebacker]] [[Harry Carson]] and earned [[All-American]] and all conference honors. He was inducted into the [[College Football Hall of Fame]] in 1998.<ref>[http://www.scsunaa.org/news/article6.htm Shell inducted into Division II HOF] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061126173000/http://www.scsunaa.org/news/article6.htm |date=November 26, 2006 }} Retrieved in 2006-07-25.</ref> 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 of [[Groove Phi Groove]].

== Professional career ==
Shell was a five-time [[Pro Bowl]]er between 1978 and 1982, a 4-time All-Pro selection, and was the Steelers team MVP in 1980. He saved several possible touchdowns in [[Super Bowl XIII]] and [[Super Bowl XIV]]. He had been in the top 15 in balloting for the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] once before, in 2002 but with no success.<ref>[http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/YearlyFinalists.jsp Pro Football Hall of Fame yearly finalists] Retrieved in 2006-07-25.</ref>  The [[Professional Football Researchers Association]] named Shell to the PRFA Hall of Very Good Class of 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.profootballresearchers.com/hall-of-very-good-2013.htm |title=Professional Researchers Association Hall of Very Good Class of 2013 |access-date=November 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104015529/http://www.profootballresearchers.com/hall-of-very-good-2013.htm |archive-date=January 4, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2019, despite not being in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he was chosen as a finalist for the NFL's [[National Football League 100th Anniversary All-Time Team|100th Anniversary Team]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nfl.com/news/defensive-back-finalists-announced-for-nfl-all-time-team-0ap3000001083320|title = Defensive back finalists announced for NFL All-Time Team}}</ref>

Shell resides in [[Rock Hill, South Carolina]] and was the [[Carolina Panthers]] director of player development from 1994 to 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.panthersgab.com/2009/02/17/donnie-shell-announces-his-retirement/|title = Donnie Shell Announces His Retirement|date = 18 February 2009}}</ref>

He played in 201 games for the Steelers, fifth most in franchise history behind [[Ben Roethlisberger]] (249), [[Mike Webster]] (220), [[Hines Ward]] (217), and [[Cameron Heyward]] (211).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10233/1081638-66.stm|title=Ward has milestones within his reach}}</ref>

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 by [[Tony Dungy]], one of Shell's teammates on the Steelers and later a Hall of Fame coach.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nfl.com/news/pro-football-hall-of-fame-centennial-class-revealed-0ap3000001096785|title = Pro Football Hall of Fame Centennial Class revealed}}</ref>

== Post-retirement ==
Shell previously served as Director of Spiritual Life at [[Johnson C. Smith University]] in [[Charlotte, North Carolina]]. He currently lives in South Carolina and has three children and three grandchildren.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Super Bowl IX}}
{{Super Bowl X}}
{{Super Bowl XIII}}
{{Super Bowl XIV}}
{{Pittsburgh Steelers}}
{{Pittsburgh Steelers 50th season All-Time team}}
{{Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Team}}
{{Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Honor}}
{{2020 Football HOF}}
{{Pro Football Hall of Fame members}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shell, Donnie}}
[[Category:1952 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American football safeties]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Steelers players]]
[[Category:Players of American football from South Carolina]]
[[Category:South Carolina State Bulldogs football players]]
[[Category:American Conference Pro Bowl players]]
[[Category:College Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:People from Whitmire, South Carolina]]
[[Category:Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees]]