For the first three years of his collegiate career at South Carolina State, former Pittsburgh Steelers safety and College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Donnie Shell toiled away in the linebacker room, not exactly making the impact he hoped he could for the Bulldogs.
Then, things changed entirely for the 1973 season.
With future Hall of Famer Harry Carson already entrenched in the linebacker room, Shell made the transition under legendary head coach Willie Jeffries to safety, helping set him on a path of greatness, leading to his College and Pro Football Hall of Fame career.
That move was a seamless one for Shell, too. Appearing on the “Inside The Locker Room With Wolf and Starks” earlier in the week with former Steelers and current radio analysts Craig Wolfley and Max Starks, Shell broke down just how he transitioned from linebacker to safety in the Bulldogs’ 3-4 defense so easily at South Carolina State, putting him on a Hall of Fame path.
“…It made it pretty easy for me, ’cause I played basketball and baseball and football and ran track in high school. So that all related to man-to-man covering guys. It related to kinda like man-to-man in basketball for me,” Shell said to Wolfley and Starks, according to audio via the show’s podcast page. “So, I just translated. That’s why I think you need to play a lot of different sports today, because it helped me make that transition to safety.”
It’s not exactly a unique view on things from Shell, but it certainly is an accurate one. Having that athletic background in basketball, baseball and track and field definitely helped Shell go from linebacker to safety, handling coverage duties at the collegiate level and then shining in the NFL with the Steelers.
Shell still holds the record for most interceptions in NFL history by a strong safety with 51, even with his career coming to an end in 1987.
Being able to play man-to-man in basketball certainly translates to coverage 1-on-1 in football. Some of the best defensive backs have had a basketball background, and that’s no coincidence.
That first season in his transition to safety, Shell earned First Team All-American honors from the American Football Coaches Association. Then, 10 years after he retired from the NFL, Shell was named to the Quarter Century Division II All-America team and to the Black College 100-year team.
Despite his dominance in college, Shell went undrafted and was fortunate to land with the Steelers. Once there, he took off and become a vital piece to the Steelers’ dynasty, ultimately landing in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2020. All of that happened because of the transition from linebacker to safety, allowing his athleticism to take over, unlocking his instincts and playmaking.
