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A. Q. Shipley

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Allan Quay Shipley (born May 22, 1986) is an American former football center who played twelve seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL draft. Shipley was also a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens, Arizona Cardinals, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He spent the 2021 season as an offensive assistant for the Buccaneers, before making regular appearances on The Pat McAfee Show.

A.Q. Shipley
refer to caption
Shipley with the Colts in 2014
No. 62, 68, 53
Position:Center
Personal information
Born: (1986-05-22) May 22, 1986 (age 38)
Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:307 lb (139 kg)
Career information
High school:Moon Area
(Moon Township, Pennsylvania)
College:Penn State (2005–2008)
NFL draft:2009 / round: 7 / pick: 226
Career history
As a player:
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
As a coach:
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2021)
    Offensive assistant
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:110
Games started:72
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Shipley attended Moon Area High School in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. As a team captain, he helped the football team reach the 2003 WPIAL Class AAA semifinals. He was a named to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fabulous 22, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Terrific 25, and the Harrisburg Patriot-News Platinum 33 lists and played in the 2004 Big 33 Football Classic. He also was a three-year starter in basketball,[1] helping to lead the team to win the 2003–2004 PIAA state championship.[2] He wrestled one year in high school at heavyweight, pinning the defending division IV state champion in his first match.[3]

Regarded as four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Shipley was listed as the No. 12 defensive tackle prospect in the class of 2004.[4]

College career

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During his career at Penn State, Shipley switched positions on the offensive and defensive lines, several times.[1] Shipley's redshirt freshman season at Penn State began with him playing on the offensive line and ended with him playing defense. At the beginning of the 2006 season Shipley was switched back to the offensive line and he spent the season as the starting center and anchored the offensive line for Tony Hunt's record-setting senior season. Shipley is known for his engaging personality and has served as the team Santa Claus for the Nittany Lions' annual Christmas party.[1] He is known as a team leader who has sought out leadership positions.

I just love being a leader, love being the center, knowing that the play starts with me and being able to control the offensive line, when I played high school basketball, I loved having the ball in my hands for the last shot. I like to be able to try to raise other people's play.[5]

Shipley began the 2008 season on the Lombardi,[6] Outland,[7] and Rimington Trophy[8] watchlists. By October, he had earned mid-season All-American honors from Sports Illustrated, College Football News, CBS Sports, and Phil Steele.[9][10] At season's end, he was awarded the Rimington Trophy, awarded annually to the best center in college football.[11] He was also named an All-American,[12][13] a consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection, and the conference's Offensive Lineman of the Year.[14] Shipley earned a Bachelor of Science in labor studies from Penn State in 2008.

Shipley was a 2008 team captain[15] for the Nittany Lions. He was the recipient of the 2008 Dave Rimington Trophy.[16]

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press Wonderlic
6 ft 1+1⁄8 in
(1.86 m) 		304 lb
(138 kg) 		29+3⁄4 in
(0.76 m) 		8+1⁄2 in
(0.22 m)		 5.26 s 1.85 s 3.06 s 4.40 s 7.46 s 31 in
(0.79 m)		 8 ft 4 in
(2.54 m)		 33 reps 40
All values from NFL Combine[17][18]

Shipley was invited to the 2009 NFL Scouting Combine where he bench pressed 33 reps of 225 lbs. (fifth among offensive linemen at the combine) and measured a 31-inch vertical jump (eighth among offensive linemen at the combine).[19] He ran 7.46 in the 3 cone drill and 4.40 in the 20-yard shuttle (second and fifth, respectively, among offensive linemen at the combine).[19] Shipley also scored a 40 on the Wonderlic Test—double the average score for NFL draft prospects.[20]

Pittsburgh Steelers

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The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Shipley in the seventh round with the 226th overall pick the 2009 NFL draft.[21] He was the last of seven centers selected during the draft. On June 18, 2009, he signed a three-year, $1.22 million contract.[22] He was waived on September 4, 2009, and was signed to the practice squad on September 6.

Philadelphia Eagles

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On January 11, 2010, the Philadelphia Eagles signed him to a three-year contract.[23] He was waived on September 4, 2010, and re-signed to the team's practice squad on September 5, 2010. He spent the entire season on the practice squad, and was re-signed to a future contract on January 10, 2011. He was waived during final cuts on September 2, 2011.

Indianapolis Colts (first stint)

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On January 29, 2012, the Indianapolis Colts signed Shipley, reuniting him with offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. Shipley competed with Samson Satele in training camp and was ultimately named the backup center to begin the season. He made his professional debut in the Colts' season-opening 21–41 loss at the Chicago Bears.

On October 7, 2012, Shipley made his first career start in place of an injured Satele.[24] He finished the regular season with five starts and played in 14 games.[25]

Baltimore Ravens

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Shipley with the Ravens in 2013

On May 9, 2013, the Colts traded Shipley to the Baltimore Ravens for a 2014 conditional seventh-round draft pick.[26]

He entered training camp competing with Gino Gradkowski for the vacant starting center position left by the retirement of Matt Birk. Shipley was named the backup to Gradkowski to begin the regular season.[27] On November 3, 2013, Shipley made his first start of the season, in place of Gradkowski, during an 18–24 loss to the Cleveland Browns. He started the last nine games of the regular season, while appearing in all 16.[24]

On August 30, 2014, Shipley was waived by the Ravens.[28]

Indianapolis Colts (second stint)

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On August 31, 2014, the Colts claimed Shipley off of waivers after starting center Khaled Holmes suffered an injury during the first snap of the preseason.[29]

He was immediately inserted into a competition for the starting center position against undrafted rookie Jonotthan Harrison. Shipley was named the starting center for the season opener against the Denver Broncos. After starting and playing well in the first four games, he was surprisingly demoted to the backup position behind Harrison. He finished the 2014 season playing in 15 games, started five, and was ranked as the 13th highest graded center in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.[24][30]

Arizona Cardinals

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Shipley with the Cardinals in 2015

On March 11, 2015, the Arizona Cardinals signed Shipley to a two-year, $1.57 million contract that includes $300,000 guaranteed and a $100,000 signing bonus.[31] This reunited him with head coach Bruce Arians for the third time on their third different team.

Shipley entered training camp competing to be the Cardinals' starting center, but was named the backup to Ted Larsen.[32] He made his Cardinals debut in their 31–19 season-opening victory over the New Orleans Saints. On October 26, 2015, he made his first start at center for the Cardinals in a 26–18 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. In his first season with the Arizona Cardinals, he appeared in 12 games and started three.[24]

The following season, Shipley entered training camp competing with rookie Evan Boehm and veteran Taylor Boggs after Larsen departed for the Chicago Bears in free agency. The Cardinals named him their starting center to open the season. He started all 16 regular season games, as the Cardinals finished with a 7–8–1 record.[24]

On March 9, 2017, the Cardinals signed Shipley to a two-year, $3.5 million contract extension, that included a $725,000 signing bonus. He was the only offensive lineman for the Cardinals to start all 16 games for the second season in a row.[33][34]

On August 6, 2018, Shipley tore his ACL in training camp and was ruled out for the season.[35] On August 24, 2018, he signed a one-year contract extension with the Cardinals through the 2019 season.[36]

In 2019, Shipley started all 16 games at center for the Cardinals.[37]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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On August 27, 2020, Shipley signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, marking the fourth time he would play under Bruce Arians for the fourth different team.[38] He was released during final roster cuts on September 5,[39] but re-signed with the team three days later.[40] Shipley would go on to start two games for the Buccaneers before suffering a neck injury. On November 26, head coach Bruce Arians announced that Shipley may have a career-ending neck injury,[41] and he was placed on injured reserve two days later.[42]

Ultimately, it was revealed that Shipley had suffered from what he described as a "bruised spinal cord", and at age 34 opted to retire rather than undergo surgery.[43] Despite this, Shipley would get a Super Bowl ring for his earlier contributions after the Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, 31–9.[44][45]

NFL career statistics

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Year Team Games Starts
2012 IND 14 5
2013 BAL 16 9
2014 IND 15 5
2015 ARI 12 3
2016 ARI 16 16
2017 ARI 16 16
2019 ARI 16 16
2020 TB 5 2
Career 110 75

Post-playing career

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Following his retirement, Shipley was named an offensive assistant on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' coaching staff on May 5, 2021.[46] He left the coaching staff to spend more time with his children.[47] In 2023, during the off-season, he began training Buccaneers center Robert Hainsey, as well as Minnesota's John Michael Schmitz.[48][49][50]

Shipley has mostly been associated with Pat McAfee, his former teammate with the Indianapolis Colts. In addition to his appearances on The Pat McAfee Show, he had co-hosted "That's Hockey Talk", before being replaced by NHL player Mike Rupp.[50][51] In 2022, he began hosting a new in-studio segment called "In the Trenches" on Wednesdays,[52] which has continued after the show's move to ESPN.

Personal life

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Shipley married his college girlfriend in 2014,[53][54] but they had split within a year.[50] He later remarried[55] and has three children with his second wife.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "# 57 A.Q. Shipley". Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original on December 22, 2008. Retrieved November 24, 2008.
  2. ^ For Moon, PIAA basketball title a tough act to follow
  3. ^ "The Pod: 027 – Friend Of The Program, AQ Shipley Rejoins The Pod on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  4. ^ "Defensive Tackles 2004". Rivals.com. January 13, 2004.
  5. ^ Sam Ross Jr. "Shipley hopes to be center of Lions' offense". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on June 17, 2008. Retrieved July 11, 2007.
  6. ^ "Evans & Shipley Named to Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List". Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics. March 10, 2008. Archived from the original on March 16, 2008. Retrieved March 11, 2008.
  7. ^ "2008 Outland Trophy Watch List Announced". NCAAFootball.com. April 18, 2008. Archived from the original on April 9, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2008.
  8. ^ "Shipley Named to Rimington Trophy Watch List". Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics. May 7, 2008. Archived from the original on May 10, 2008. Retrieved May 7, 2008.
  9. ^ "Trio of Nittany Lions honored on mid-season All-America teams". The Pennsylvania State University. October 17, 2008. Archived from the original on May 4, 2009. Retrieved October 18, 2008.
  10. ^ "Phil Steele's 2008 Midseason All-American and All-Conference Teams". Phil Steele's Publications. Retrieved October 30, 2008.[permanent dead link‍]
  11. ^ Musselman, Ron (December 10, 2008). "PSU Football: Shipley receives national award". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on December 13, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  12. ^ Brennan, Mark (December 12, 2008). "Maybin, Shipley Gain All-America Honors". Fight On State/Scout.com. Archived from the original on December 12, 2008. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
  13. ^ "FWAA Names 2008 All-America Team". Football Writers Association of America. December 13, 2008. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved December 13, 2008.
  14. ^ "2008 All-Big Ten Conference Football Team: As selected by Conference Coaches" (PDF). GoPSU.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
  15. ^ "Nittany Lions Announce Captains for 2008 Season". Pennsylvania State University. Archived from the original on May 1, 2008. Retrieved April 29, 2008.
  16. ^ "Shipley wins Rimington Trophy; three Lions named All-Americans". news.psu.edu. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  17. ^ "A.Q. Shipley Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  18. ^ "A.Q. Shipley, DS #6 C, Penn State". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  19. ^ a b "2009 NFL Scouting Combine: Top Performers". NFL.com. Archived from the original on February 25, 2009. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
  20. ^ Flounders, Bob (April 25, 2009). "PSU hopefuls come with question marks". The Patriot-News. Archived from the original on April 26, 2009.
  21. ^ "2009 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  22. ^ "Ex-PSU center signs with Super Bowl champions". Big Ten Network. June 18, 2009. Retrieved March 16, 2021.[permanent dead link‍]
  23. ^ McPherson, Chris (January 11, 2010). "WRs Norwood, Collins Inked To New Deals". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2010. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
  24. ^ a b c d e "NFL Player Profile: A.Q. Shipley". NFL.com. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  25. ^ "A.Q. Shipley 2012 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  26. ^ Rosenthal, Gregg (May 9, 2013). "A.Q. Shipley traded to Baltimore Ravens from Colts". NFL.com. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  27. ^ "Ourlads.com: Baltimore Ravens Depth Chart". ourlads.com. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  28. ^ Wilson, Aaron (August 30, 2014). "Ravens cut Derek Cox, Dominique Franks, Keith Wenning, A.Q. Shipley". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  29. ^ "Colts Claim Center A.Q. Shipley; Name 2014 Practice Squad". Colts.com. August 31, 2014. Archived from the original on July 1, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  30. ^ Wilson, Josh (July 8, 2015). "Cardinal's center A.Q. Shipley enjoying football again after trying 2014 season with the Colts". stampedeblue.com. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  31. ^ Urban, Darren (March 11, 2015). "Cards add A.Q. Shipley, Cory Redding". AZCardinals.com. Archived from the original on March 12, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  32. ^ "Ourlads.com: Arizona Cardinals Depth Chart: 08/01/2015". ourlads.com. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  33. ^ Odegard, Kyle (March 9, 2017). "Cardinals Bring Back A.Q. Shipley". AZCardinals.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2018.
  34. ^ Weinfuss, Josh (March 16, 2017). "Breaking down A.Q. Shipley's two-year contract". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  35. ^ Wesseling, Chris (August 6, 2018). "Cardinals lose veteran center A.Q. Shipley to torn ACL". NFL.com. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  36. ^ Urban, Darren (August 24, 2018). "Cardinals Sign A.Q. Shipley To One-Year Extension". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  37. ^ "A.Q. Shipley 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  38. ^ Smith, Scott (August 27, 2020). "Bucs Sign A.Q. Shipley, Add Experienced Depth to O-Line". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  39. ^ Smith, Scott (September 5, 2020). "Matt Gay, A.Q. Shipley Among Cuts to Get to 53". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  40. ^ Smith, Scott (September 7, 2020). "Leonard Fournette Joins Bucs' High-Powered Offense". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  41. ^ Laine, Jenna (November 26, 2020). "Tampa Bay Buccaneers center A.Q. Shipley may have career-ending injury". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  42. ^ Smith, Scott (November 28, 2020). "Jack Cichy Activated from Injured Reserve". Buccaneers.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  43. ^ Romano, John (January 8, 2021). "One violent hit and a 12-year NFL career comes to an abrupt end". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  44. ^ Patra, Kevin (February 7, 2017). "What we learned from Buccaneers win over Chiefs in Super Bowl LV". NFL.com. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  45. ^ "Super Bowl LV – Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Kansas City Chiefs – February 7th, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  46. ^ "Thaddeus Lewis, A.Q. Shipley Join Bucs Coaching Staff for 2021". Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Archived from the original on May 5, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  47. ^ "A.Q. Shipley Chooses To Blame Media Rather Than Refute Report Of Souring Tom Brady-Bruce Arians Relationship". JoeBucsFan.com. April 24, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  48. ^ Stroud, Rick (September 5, 2023). "Bigger role, more responsibility for Bucs center Robert Hainsey". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  49. ^ "Former Gophers OL John Michael Schmitz preparing for NFL Draft Combine in Eagan". KSTP.com. February 8, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  50. ^ a b c "Exclusive with Former Steelers Center A.Q. Shipley, 2009". Steelers Takeaways. February 14, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  51. ^ "That's Hockey Talk". Spotify. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  52. ^ "Former NFL Player & Coach AQ Shipley Breaks Down Some Of The BEST NFL Offensive Line Plays Of 2022". September 21, 2022 – via YouTube.
  53. ^ Chappell, Mike (August 31, 2014). "Colts get center A.Q. Shipley, finalize practice squad". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  54. ^ Wilson, Phillip B. (September 11, 2014). "Q&A: Center A.Q. Shipley". 247sports.com. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  55. ^ AQ Shipley [@aqshipley] (June 24, 2017). "What a beautiful day and night marrying my best friend Shari last night in Maui. Thanks for making me so happy!!! #gotmauied #shipshiphooray" (Tweet). Retrieved October 26, 2023 – via Twitter.

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