The award was one of two announced by the Big Ten on Tuesday, with former Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell receiving the Ford-Kinnick Leadership Award.
Shields and his wife, Ksenia, are the founders of the Will to Succeed Foundation, which facilitates programs and provides support and resources to individuals, families and other charitable organizations who have little or no access to other assistance.
The Foundation has helped more than 100,000 individuals and raised millions of dollars since its inception in 1993. Shields takes a special interest in mentoring those women and children who benefit most from their contributions.
Shields played as an offensive guard for Nebraska from 1989 to 1992, helping the Huskers win consecutive conference titles in 1991 and 1992. Shields won the 1992 Outland Trophy as the nation’s best interior lineman and was a three-time first-team All-Big Eight selection for coach Tom Osborne.
Shields spent 14 years with the Kansas City Chiefs, a career that included seven All-Pro selections. His efforts off the field earned him the 2003 NFL Walter Payton Man-of-the-Year Award. A member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, Shields was inducted into the Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016 and is a member of the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame.
Shields is the first recipient of one of two prestigious Big Ten awards given to former Nebraska football student-athletes.
The Dungey-Thompson Humanitarian and Ford-Kinnick Leadership Awards are part of the Big Ten’s annual awards program. The Dungy-Thompson Humanitarian Award is named for Tony Dungy of Minnesota and Anthony Thompson of Indiana. The Ford-Kinnick Leadership Award is named for Gerald Ford of Michigan and Niles Kinnick of Iowa. For more information about these awards, including biographical information on the names, visit bigten.org.
Dungy-Thompson Humanitarian Award recipients:
- 2011: George Taliaferro, IND
- 2012: Chris Spielman, OSU
- 2013: Drew Brees, PUR
- 2014: Brian Grice, MICH
- 2015: John Shinsky, MSU
- 2016: Trent Green, IND
- 2017: Chad Greenway, Iowa
- 2018: Jake Wood, WIS
- 2019: JJ Watt, WIS
- 2020: Vincent Smith, MICH
- 2021: Malcolm Jenkins, OSU
- 2022: Nate Sudfeld, IND
- 2023: Dick Butkus, ILL
- 2024: Maddieu Williams, MD
- 2025: Will Shields, NEB
Ford-Kinnick Leadership Award recipients:
- 2011: Archie Griffin, OSU
- 2012: John Runyan, MICH
- 2013: Gene Washington, MSU
- 2014: Mike Hopkins, ILL
- 2015: Brian Grice, MICH
- 2016: Reggie McKenzie, MICH
- 2017: Troy Vincent, WIS
- 2018: Antwan Randall L, IND
- 2019: Doug Schlereth, IND
- 2020: Napoleon Harris, NU
- 2021: Pat Richter, WIS
- 2022: Ron Guenther, ILL
- 2023: Richard Cochise, IND
- 2024: Russell Wilson, WIS
- 2025: Jack Campbell, Iowa
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