Courtesy "Will to Succeed" Foundation

Will Shields is by many standards the best offensive guard in the history of the National Football League. This may seem like hyperbole, but if you ask running backs Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson and a slew of Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks, most of them won't hesitate when confirming this declaration.

Shields, who is retiring after 14 seasons in the NFL, is leaving a huge void on the Kansas City offensive line. The 12-time pro bowler, though, will be missed even more for his remarkable influence in the Chiefs locker room and in the NFL community.

Founder of the "Will to Succeed Foundation," Shields has been providing assistance for battered and abused women and children, since creating the company in 1993. Shields' foundation has helped over 90,000 people since its inception, and Shields and his wife, Senia, have contributed over $1 million of their own money to the foundation and its charitable endeavors.

Sadly, the average NFL fan probably doesn't even know who Will Shields is. Glory and notoriety are usually reserved for skill-position players and law-breakers like Pacman Jones.

Football fans in Kansas City will notice Shields' absence this season. You can bet Larry Johnson will notice.

Abused women and children being helped by Will Shields and his "Will to Succeed" foundation won't bat an eye when the Chiefs take the field and number 68 isn't there, plowing a path for Johnson. They will, however, be glad that Will Shields is doing what he calls his best work.

Will Shields may no longer be helping the Kansas City Chiefs.

Shields is around, though, and he's still helping.