Gary Shirk
Encyclopedia
Gary Lee Shirk is a former professional American football
tight end
. He played with the New York Giants
of the National Football League
for seven seasons. He also played in the World Football League
for the Memphis Southmen
and in the United States Football League
for the Memphis Showboats
. Shirk played college football
at Morehead State University
.
Shirk attended Marysville High School
in Ohio before moving onto Morehead State University
where he was a four-year starter and was the team MVP in 1972. After playing for Memphis in the WFL in 1974 and 1975, Shirk moved onto the NFL, playing for the New York Giants
from 1976 thru 1982. He played in 101 games for NY, with 34 games started, and caught 130 passes for 1640 yards and 11 touchdowns. From 1979-1982, his QB in New York was another former Morehead State Eagle, Phil Simms
. Shirk also played for the USFL Memphis Showboats after his NFL playing days. Shirk was inducted into the Kentucky Football of Fame in 2010 for his career at Morehead State.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
. He played with the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for seven seasons. He also played in the World Football League
World Football League
The World Football League was a short-lived gridiron football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the WFL reached was placing a team – the Hawaiians – in Honolulu, Hawaii. The...
for the Memphis Southmen
Memphis Southmen
The Memphis Southmen were a franchise in the World Football League which operated in 1974 and 1975. They played their home games at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee, United States.-From North to South:...
and in the United States Football League
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
for the Memphis Showboats
Memphis Showboats
The Memphis Showboats were a franchise in the United States Football League. They entered the league in its expansion in 1984 and made the 1985 playoffs, losing in the semifinal round to the Oakland Invaders...
. Shirk played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Morehead State University
Morehead State University
Morehead State University is a public, co-educational university located in Morehead, Kentucky, United States in the foothills of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Rowan County, midway between Lexington, Kentucky, and Huntington, West Virginia. The 2012 edition of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S...
.
Shirk attended Marysville High School
Marysville High School (Ohio)
Marysville High School is a public high school in Marysville, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Marysville Exempted Village School District...
in Ohio before moving onto Morehead State University
Morehead State University
Morehead State University is a public, co-educational university located in Morehead, Kentucky, United States in the foothills of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Rowan County, midway between Lexington, Kentucky, and Huntington, West Virginia. The 2012 edition of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S...
where he was a four-year starter and was the team MVP in 1972. After playing for Memphis in the WFL in 1974 and 1975, Shirk moved onto the NFL, playing for the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
from 1976 thru 1982. He played in 101 games for NY, with 34 games started, and caught 130 passes for 1640 yards and 11 touchdowns. From 1979-1982, his QB in New York was another former Morehead State Eagle, Phil Simms
Phil Simms
Phillip Martin "Phil" Simms is a former American football quarterback, and currently a television sportscaster for the CBS network. After a standout career at Morehead State University, Simms was drafted in the first round by the New York Giants of the National Football League with the number...
. Shirk also played for the USFL Memphis Showboats after his NFL playing days. Shirk was inducted into the Kentucky Football of Fame in 2010 for his career at Morehead State.