No. 16
San Diego State
"While everyone was talking about Pittsburgh's rookie quarterback Terry Bradshaw last summer, Bradshaw's counterpart in Buffalo, Dennis Shaw of San Diego State, wasn't even in training camp.
Shaw, the Bills' second-round draft choice in 1970, became a salary holdout even before his first professional season. The 24-year-old passer finally reached a settlement and joined the Bills just in time for the last exhibition game. Asked if he thought he'd blown a chance to win the starting job by reporting late, Shaw replied candidly, 'I've been following the team in the newspapers and from the statistics I've seen, they can't be too far ahead of me.' He was right. The 6-2, 209-pounder moved into the starting job in the third game of the season and promptly led the Bills to their first victory.
In beating the Jets, Shaw completed 12 of 21 passes for 317 yards. Though Buffalo won only two more games, Shaw became an instant leader and certainly made the team more competitive than it had been in recent years. Possessing a strong arm and good range, Shaw passed his way to Rookie of the Year honors with a 55.5 completion percentage, 10 touchdown passes, an average gain of 7.81 yards, and 2,507 yards passing.
Looking toward the '71 season, Shaw confidently remarked, 'This year [1970], to me, was just a rehearsal for next season, when we're going to be a winner."
-Brenda Zanger, Pro Football 1971
"Surprised everyone as Rookie of the Year in 1970. Shaw was a starter in the College All-Star Game but got to pro training camp late because of salary differences. He wanted $100,000 and the Bills didn't want to shell out that much for a man they didn't figure for a starter. Cocksure Shaw finally signed and said, 'I read in the papers about the Buffalo quarterbacks and I couldn't see that anyone was that far ahead of me.' They certainly weren't after he came off the bench and hit four of seven passes in the opener.
Shaw was a starter from the second game on. In the third game of the season, he almost set a Bills record with 317 yards passing in an upset over the New York Jets. He got the record in the fifth game with 348 yards against Miami. Shaw finished fifth among AFC passers- ahead of the Namaths, the Kapps and the Unitases.
He's a confident leader who says, 'I play the same way in the pros as I do in my back yard.' The reason for his instant success is traced to his college experience where he guided a pro-style offense. He threw 39 touchdown passes as a senior, nine of them in one game. He once passed for 500 yards in a game.
Shaw was born in Los Angeles."
-John Devaney, The Complete Handbook of Pro Football (1971 Edition)
"Voted as the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1970, Dennis breathed new life into the Bills' attack last year. Making his debut in the second half of a game against the Rams on September 27, he completed 13 of 18 passes for 142 yards against one of pro football's toughest defenses. The following week he had a 317-yard day against the Jets by completing 12 of 21 passes in a 34-31 upset win for Buffalo.
In his first three starts, Dennis had 869 yards and by mid-season, he had the best completion average in pro football, just under 60%. The Bills' offensive unit began to jell with Dennis as the leader. Haven Moses started making great and timely catches, Marlin Briscoe was even more sensational and became the AFC's leading receiver of the year and O.J. Simpson, with Dennis using him wisely, climbed near the rushing lead until sidelined for the season with a knee injury.
Dennis worked out with the Chargers while at San Diego State."
-1971 Topps No. 235
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