Eric Shaw (American football)
American football player
Eric Wendell Shaw (born September 17, 1971) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for three seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He first played college football for the Florida State Seminoles before transferring to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. He was selected by the Bengals in the 12th round of the 1992 NFL draft. With the Bengals from 1992 through 1994, Shaw appeared in 28 games (10 starts).
Early life
Eric Wendell Shaw was born on September 17, 1971, in Pensacola, Florida. He played high school football at Pensacola High School as a defensive end/outside linebacker. He was named first-team 4A all-state his junior year in 1987. He recorded 113 tackles and 24 quarterback sacks his senior year in 1988, garnering first-team 4A all-state recognition for the second consecutive season. Shaw was also named a Parade, USA Today and Super Prep All-American in high school.
College career
Shaw committed to play college football at Florida State University for the Seminoles but was ineligible to play during his freshman year in 1989 due to low SAT scores.
The public source identifies “Eric Shaw (American football)” as american football player. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Eric, Shaw and American.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Eric Shaw (American football)”, the useful work is to connect “american football player” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q18631622. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1971, 1992, 1994 and 1987.
Public reputation and documentary evidence do not always develop together; absence from a summary is not evidence of historical absence. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Eric Shaw (American football)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Eric Shaw (American football) primary sources, Eric Shaw (American football) archive and Eric research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Eric Shaw (American football)”?
- Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Eric Shaw (American football)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.