View source for Shane Conlan

{{Short description|American football player and administrator (born 1964)}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name        = Shane Conlan
| number      = 58, 56
| position    = [[Linebacker]]
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|1964|3|4|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Frewsburg, New York]], U.S. 
| height_ft   = 6
| height_in   = 3
| weight_lb   = 235
| high_school = [[Frewsburg High School|Frewsburg]] 
| college     = [[Penn State Nittany Lions football|Penn State]]
| draftyear   = 1987
| draftround  = 1
| draftpick   = 8
| pastteams   =
* [[Buffalo Bills]] ({{NFL Year|1987|1992}})
* [[St. Louis Rams|Los Angeles / St. Louis Rams]] ({{NFL Year|1993|1995}})
| pastadmin   =
* [[Pittsburgh Power]] ({{AFL Year|2013}}–{{AFL Year|2014}})<br>Vice president of corporate partnerships
| highlights  =
* [[NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award|AP NFL Defensive Rookie of The Year]] (1987)
* 3× Second-team [[All-Pro]] ([[1987 All-Pro Team|1987]], [[1988 All-Pro Team|1988]], [[1990 All-Pro Team|1990]])
* 3× [[Pro Bowl]] ([[1989 Pro Bowl|1988]]–[[1991 Pro Bowl|1990]])
* [[PFWA All-Rookie Team]] ([[PFWA All-Rookie Team#1987|1987]])
* [[Buffalo Bills#50th Anniversary Team|Buffalo Bills 50th Anniversary Team]]
* 2× [[College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS|National champion]] ([[1982 Penn State Nittany Lions football team|1982]], [[1986 Penn State Nittany Lions football team|1986]])
* [[List of unanimous All-Americans in college football|Unanimous All-American]] ([[1986 College Football All-America Team|1986]])
* First-team [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]]([[1985 College Football All-America Team|1985]])
* 2× First-team All-[[Big East Conference|East]] ([[1985 All-East football team|1985]], [[1986 All-East football team|1986]])
* [[Fiesta Bowl]] Defensive MVP ([[1987 Fiesta Bowl|1987]])
| statlabel1  = [[Tackle (football move)|Tackle]]s
| statvalue1  = 783
| statlabel2  = [[Quarterback sack|Sack]]s
| statvalue2  = 7.0
| statlabel3  = Forced [[fumble]]s
| statvalue3  = 6
| statlabel4  = Fumble recoveries
| statvalue4  = 5
| statlabel5  = [[Interception]]s
| statvalue5  = 5
| pfr         = ConlSh00 
| CollegeHOF  = 2361 
}}

'''Shane Patrick Conlan''' (born March 4, 1964) is an American former professional [[American football|football]] player who was a [[linebacker]] in the [[National Football League]] (NFL). He played [[college football]] for the [[Penn State Nittany Lions football|Penn State Nittany Lions]], winning two national championships in [[1982 Penn State Nittany Lions football team|1982]] and [[1986 Penn State Nittany Lions football team|1986]], although he was red-shirted prior to the start of the 1982 season and did not play that season. In 1981, prior to his Penn State career and after his senior season at [[Frewsburg High School]] in which he played under head coach Thomas Sharp, Conlan was voted Western New York high school Player of the Year. During his career at Penn State, Conlan had 274 tackles, including a school-record 186 solos. He finished his football career as a three-time [[Pro Bowl|all-pro]] with the [[National Football League|NFL's]] [[Buffalo Bills]] and the [[St. Louis Rams|Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams]].

==Early life==
Conlan was born and raised in [[Frewsburg, New York]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shane Conlan Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/ConlSh00.htm |access-date=2025-07-06 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>[https://www.chautauquasportshalloffame.org/shaneconlan.php Shane Conlan]</ref>

==College career==
Conlan capped his junior season at Penn State in the 1985 national championship game in the [[Orange Bowl (game)|Orange Bowl]] against the [[University of Oklahoma]]. The finale to his senior year was in the 1986 national championship game versus the [[University of Miami]] in the [[1987 Fiesta Bowl]], Conlan had eight tackles, two interceptions. Most memorably, he returned the second of his two interceptions 38 yards to the Miami 5-yard line to set up [[D.J. Dozier]]'s game-winning touchdown. With Penn State's 14–10 victory, Conlan's squad completed an undefeated season, securing the 1986 national championship.

As captain, Conlan led the 1986 squad in tackles with 79, including a team-high 63 solo stops. During his final two collegiate seasons (1985 & 1986), he was named an [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] at [[outside linebacker]], making him the sixth two-time All-American at Penn State. He received this honor from NEA in 1985 and from [[Walter Camp]], ''The Football News'', Football Writers, Football Coaches, [[Associated Press]], [[United Press International]], and ''College and Pro Football Newsweekly'' in 1986. In addition, Conlan was a 1986 finalist for the prestigious [[Butkus Award]] as the nation's top linebacker. He was elected to the [[College Football Hall of Fame]] in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|title=NFF Proudly Announces Impressive 2014 College Football Hall of Fame Class|author=National Football Foundation|publisher=FootballFoundation.org|date=May 22, 2014|access-date=May 22, 2014|url=https://footballfoundation.org/news/2014/5/21/_54778.aspx?path=football}}</ref>

On December 11, 2014, the [[Big Ten Network]] included Conlan on "The Mount Rushmore of [[Penn State Football]]", as chosen by online fan voting. Conlan was joined in the honor by [[John Cappelletti]], [[Jack Ham]] and [[LaVar Arrington]].

==Professional career==
Conlan was selected in the first round with the eighth overall pick by the Buffalo Bills in the [[1987 NFL draft]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1987 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1987/draft.htm |access-date=2023-09-25 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> After his rookie season, he was awarded the 1987 [[NFL Rookie of the Year Award|NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year]] by the [[Associated Press]]. From 1988 to 1990, Conlan enjoyed three straight trips to the [[Pro Bowl]]. Conlan played with the Bills (1987–92), where he played in the first 3 of the Bills [[Super Bowl]] teams and the [[St. Louis Rams|Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams]] (1993–95) before retiring from the [[NFL]] in 1995.

==After football==
Since Conlan's retirement from the NFL, he has worked for Esmark Inc. as the company's Vice President of Commercial Real Estate. In 2013, he was named the [[Pittsburgh Power]]'s Vice President of Corporate Partnerships.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4698541 |title=Shane Conlan Joins the Pittsburgh Power's Front Office |date=October 28, 2013 |publisher=OurSports Central |work=www.oursportscentral.com |access-date=October 28, 2013}}</ref>

Conlan has four children, including Patrick (b.1992), a former NCAA division III college quarterback (Hobart University), son Chris (b. 1997), an NCAA division I Wide Receiver (William & Mary), and son Dan (b. 2000), an NCAA division I basketball player (Penn State).

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{1982 Penn State Nittany Lions football navbox}}
{{1986 Penn State Nittany Lions football navbox}}
{{1986 NCAA Division I-A College Football Consensus All-Americans}}
{{1987 NFL Draft}}
{{BillsFirstPick}}
{{Bills1987DraftPicks}}
{{AP Defensive Rookies of the Year}}
{{Buffalo Bills 50th Season All-time Team}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conlan, Shane}}
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:All-American college football players]]
[[Category:American Conference Pro Bowl players]]
[[Category:American football linebackers]]
[[Category:Buffalo Bills players]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Rams players]]
[[Category:College Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year winners]]
[[Category:Penn State Nittany Lions football players]]
[[Category:People from Frewsburg, New York]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Chautauqua County, New York]]
[[Category:St. Louis Rams players]]
[[Category:People from Olean, New York]]