Ellie Fleischer

Black History Month Feature: Burrell Shields '52

2/11/2025 2:49:00 PM | By: Joe Ginley '16, SID

An early member of the JCU-NFL pipeline, Shields' story is worth exploring

At John Carroll, you always hear about the JCU to NFL pipeline. After all, how many Division III schools (or school at all) can say that it has sent over 40 men and women to work in the National Football League, many in key positions?

At the start of Black History Month, it's time to tell the tale of one star member of the JCU to NFL pipeline: Burrell Shields Jr.

Haven't heard the name Burrell Shields Jr.? It's about time you heard about a Blue Streak who has a tale worth reading about.

Burrell Alfredstein Shields Jr. was born in Cleveland on September 6, 1929. In talking with his son (his namesake, Burrell Shields), not much is known about his upbringing or what brought him to John Carroll. What we do know is that Shields graduated from East Tech High School (located on East 55th Street in Cleveland) and played end.

Shields was not the first Black athlete to arrive at John Carroll, as that distinction is believed to belong to Archie Lewis '29, who we wrote about last year. But Shields arrived at John Carroll in the era immediately following World War II, during which not a great deal of Black athletes donned the Blue & Gold. Regardless, Shields soon became a star, primarily in football but also as a basketball player and track athlete.

As a freshman, Shields made his presence known. He won the John D. Connors Trophy in 1948, given to the most outstanding first-year gridder. A newspaper article called him "one of the most promising end prospects to hit the campus in recent years. A demon on defense and a glue-fingered pass receiver, Shields can run as well as any back and is hard to stop once he gathers steam."

Shields made quite the impact during his first season as a varsity gridder in 1949, too. Despite playing behind future NFL players and coaches Don Shula '51 and Carl Taseff '51, Shields became a significant contributor as an end.

Called an "ironman" in the team media guide, Shields played both offense and defense, as well as special teams. Perhaps his top contribution to the team's 6-3 record was a 92-yard punt return on Friday, October 21, 1949 during a 26-7 victory.

To this day, that's the JCU record for longest punt return. And since we were not there to witness this history, it feels best to include the contemporary account of the game, written by JCU alumnus Chuck Heaton '38 for the October 22, 1949 edition of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Heaton himself is in the John Carroll Athletic Hall of Fame.

"Finally living up to the preseason form table the Blue Streaks of John Carroll opened their home football season in grand style by rolling over Marshall College, 26-7, last night at the stadium.

"After the Herd from Huntington, W. Va., scored a touchdown in the first five minutes of play, Coach Herb Eisele's boys gave the 4,000 spectators a pleasant surprise by dominating the game the remainder of the distance.

"It was a brilliant 92-yard punt return by sophomore Burrell Shields in the second quarter that put the Streaks in command. Shields, a former East Tech player, took a high, spiraling boot on the 8-yard line and started right up the middle. He emerged from a swarm of Green and White jerseys on the Carroll 25 and was 10 yards in front of the last would-be tackler at the Marshall 40."

Now, here is where the story gets interesting.

It is possible that on that night, Shields met his future bride. In talking with Shields' son, Burrell (now 71 years old), his mother, Belle Winston, was a West Virginia State College student from Huntington, West Virginia. What we do know is that Shields met Belle through mutual friends and that according to the 1950 JCU Football Media Guide, the two married in the summer of 1949.

And so, that fateful night echoes not only in JCU Football lore but in the Shields family history.

Shields finished his sophomore season with 4 touchdowns and 5.3 yards per carry. The Clevelander continued to be an important contributor to the team during the fateful 1950 campaign.

John Carroll started off the season on a rough note, with two losses to begin the season against very good St. Bonaventure and Xavier squads. But from there, the Blue Streaks got on a roll and never relented. John Carroll won its final 8 games, a winning streak that stood until 1989. JCU's 8 team wins were also not matched until that 1989 Hall of Fame team.

The crowning achievement of the season was one of the best wins in program history. John Carroll defeated powerhouse Syracuse, 21-16, in front of 16,724 people at Cleveland Stadium in 27 degree weather. Hall of Fame Coach Herb Eisele and several players were carried off the field by several thousand jubilant students. Don Shula had 23 carries for 124 yards, and Carl Taseff ran 25 times for 115 yards. The team "muscled its way onto the national grid scene" as legendary sportswriter Chuck Heaton wrote.

Individually, Shields tallied 82 carries for 426 yards, good for 4.4 yards per carry, all third on the team behind Taseff and Shula. His efforts helped the Blue Streaks set the team rushing record with 2,840 yards on the ground as a team, which stood until Tim Barrett's remarkable 1974 campaign. Shields found the end zone three times. Additionally, Shields continued to play defense in addition to special teams. Without a doubt, Shields played a critical role for an offense that set a myriad of records that were not broken for many years.

After the graduation of Taseff and Shula, Shields assumed the bellcow status as a senior in 1951. Without many of the team's stars having graduated, Shields shouldered the offensive load. Shields topped the team with 135 attempts for 549 yards, notching a pair of scores. He also added 11 receptions of 142 yards and two touchdowns. On special teams, Shields tallied 22 punt returns for 159 yards.

Despite Shields' efforts, on the whole, the Blue Streaks struggled against superior competition. John Carroll dropped to a 3-6 record in 1951, with losses to strong teams such as Youngstown, Toledo, Dayton (featuring a young Chuck Noll), Xavier, and the Quantico Marines. Still, Shields made the All-Big Four First Team.

A contemporary press clipping wrote that Shields "does just about everything a player can do, and he does it well. He's an excellent ball carrier, a hard blocker, a fine pass receiver and he employs a dazzling change of pace when returning punts that can, and usually does, leave would-be tacklers staring open-mouthed as he churns by." The same article ended with, "He's just a great guy, in every sense of the word."

The same article, authored by athletic publicity director Bill Stredelman, noted that "the rangy grid star has also made his presence felt on the hardwood as well as on the cinder track to become the first three-sport letterman at Carroll since long before World War II. He already has two years' work behind him as a broad jumper, high jumper and relay man on Carroll's track team, and made his basketball debut with last year's cage squad."

According to the team media guide, Shields majored in physics with a minor in math. It was previously believed that Shields might not have graduated, but the JCU Alumni records have Shields acquiring his degree in 1952.

The cause for the confusion was Shields being drafted into the Army in 1952. Shields served in the Korean War. This, despite being drafted as an end by the Cleveland Browns in the 6th round (72nd overall) of the 1952 NFL Draft.

After returning home from the war, Shields got to play in the NFL. As a 25-year-old rookie, Shields played in six games for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1954. He did not appear in a box score until the Steelers' ninth game of the year. In a 31-3 loss to the 49ers, Shields carried the rock 7 times for 28 yards and caught 1 pass for 22 yards, his only offensive stats of the season.

Shields did play in the final 3 games of the season, mostly returning kicks. He picked off a pass against the New York Giants. Fittingly, Shields got the opportunity to return three kicks in the Steelers' 1954 season finale in his hometown Cleveland in front of 28,064 fans at Cleveland Municipal Stadium.

In 1955, Shields went to play for the Baltimore Colts under Weeb Ewbank. Shields registered 10 carries for 34 yards and 3 catches for 27 yards.

In 1956, Shields' career came to an untimely end. During the preseason, while transitioning to running back (a change he welcomed), Shields suffered a torn ligament in his left knee. Shields was hurt on a flat pass from rookie quarterback and future star Johnny Unitas.

Shields talked with the Baltimore Afro-American for the August 11, 1956 edition while confined at Johns Hopkins Hospital two days after the operation.

"I had moved out to the right flat and had to cut back for a pass over my left shoulder," Shields started. "The moment I caught the ball, I was tackled. With my leg held tightly against the other fellow's body, the knee couldn't give as it normally would do. The ligament was stretched and torn as a result."

The doctors told him he would have full use of his leg in six weeks. As Shields told the press, "I guess things could be a lot worse."

Still, Shields would not return to play in the NFL.

Shields started a family during his NFL career. However, Shields and his wife divorced, with Burrell remaining in Cleveland and Belle moving back to her native West Virginia with the children. Their son, Burrell, later graduated from Marshall in 1974.

Shields worked for the postal service in Cleveland for many years. Upon retiring from the postal service, Shields went on to work in the juvenile division as his son recalls. He would remarry.

Unfortunately, the story of Burrell Shields Jr. ends in tragedy. Just a couple of weeks after his family had visited him for Christmas, they received a call that no one wants to receive.

Burrell Shields Jr. died tragically in a house fire on January 15, 1997 in Cleveland, alongside his second wife and her brother.

Today, the Shields family spans across the nation. Burrell Shields, who we spoke to for this article, moved to Detroit after graduating from Marshall to work at the Ford Motor Company. He is the President of Motor City Tennis Club since 2011 and has served on the Board of Directors of Southeastern Michigan Tennis Association since 2021. Shields helps to bring the game of tennis to under-served communities, teaching young people the sport. He has been on the Board of Motor City Tennis Club since 1994.

Shields, a member of the African American Tennis Association, plays a key role in the Tri-City Tournament with Chicago, Cleveland, and Detroit, which just held its 78th annual tennis tournament in Detroit last Labor Day weekend.

Burrell also has a brother living in Pennsylvania, a brother living in Washington State, and a sister living in New Mexico. The siblings still stay in touch over Zoom.

And so, the legacy of Burrell Shields Jr. endures. He is one of 18 Blue Streaks to be drafted and one of only 11 Blue Streaks to play in the NFL.

As part of Black History Month, we remember him and his contributions to the Cleveland and John Carroll University communities.

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