Scott Allen Shanle (born November 23, 1979) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

who played in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

and

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at the

University of Nebraska–Lincoln The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska, NU, or UNL) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. Chartered in 1869 by the Nebraska Legislature as part of the M ...

Early life

Shanle attended St. Edward High School, where he played

eight-man football Eight-man football is a form of gridiron football, generally played by high schools with smaller enrollments. Eight-man football differs from the traditional 11-man game with the reduction of three players on each side of the ball and a field wid ...

as a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

and

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

. After having a 3–6 record in his freshman season, his team went 29–3 over final three seasons. As a senior, he earned All-State and Player of the Year honors. In track he ran the 100, 200 and 4x100 meter relay. He set school records in both the 100M and 200M with times of 10.67 and 22.3 seconds. He also earned

varsity letter A varsity letter (or monogram) is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its recipient was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met. A person who ...

s in

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

College career

Shanle walked-on at the

and earned a football scholarship after he redshirted in the fall of 1998. As a

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Sports * Redshirt (college sports) Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically ...

freshman in 1999, he appeared in every game, mainly as the up-front blocker on the punt return team. As a sophomore in 2000, he played in all twelve games with ten starts at

strongside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

, making 55 tackles (fifth on the team), 4 tackles for loss, one sack, 4 quarterback pressures, 2 passes defensed, one interception and one forced fumble. As a junior in 2001, he made 56 tackles (fifth on the team), 8 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, one fumble recovery and 8 passes defensed that tied the school's linebacker record. As a senior in 2002, he posted 71 tackles (fourth on the team), 5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 6 quarterback pressures, one pass defensed and one forced fumble.

Professional career

St. Louis Rams

Shanle was selected by the

in the seventh round (251st overall) of the

2003 NFL draft The 2003 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League (NFL) teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936 NF ...

. He made his

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

debut against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

on September 7. As a rookie, he played on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

and had 4 tackles, after battling a hamstring injury for most of the season. He was waived on December 10, to make room for

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

Scott Tercero who was promoted from the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

. In 2015, he was named one of the best 50 draft picks in the St. Louis Rams history (not counting Los Angeles) by the ''

St. Louis Post-Dispatch The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the '' Belleville News-Democra ...

'' newspaper. In a 2025 ESPN review of all time greatest draft picks by pick Shanle was named the best pick in NFL history for pick number 251. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/45597769/picking-best-nfl-draft-picks-ever-every-slot-common-era-1967-2024

Dallas Cowboys

On December 11,

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, he was claimed off waivers by the

. He was declared inactive for the last 3 games and the playoffs. In

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, he ranked fourth on the Cowboys roster with 15

tackles. He became the starter at

in the team's new

3–4 defense In American football, the 3–4 defense is a common defensive alignment consisting of three down Defensive lineman, linemen and four linebackers. It is called a "base defense" because it will readily switch to other defensive alignments (such as ...

for the final three games, in place of an injured Al Singleton, registering 26 tackles which led the team over that span. In

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, he served as the Cowboys' nickel

middle linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the li ...

. After injuries forced

Dat Nguyen Dat Tan Nguyen (; , ; born September 25, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for seven seasons with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas A& ...

into retirement, Shanle moved into the starting lineup at

weakside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

. He battled injury setbacks (ankle) in the season's final games, tying for seventh on the team with 50 tackles and tied for eleventh with 8

tackles. On April 28,

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, he was re-signed to a one-year contract. On August 23, he was traded to the

in exchange for a seventh round pick (#237- Alan Ball).

New Orleans Saints

, he was acquired to improve the

corps, reuniting with head coach

Sean Payton Patrick Sean Payton (born December 29, 1963) is an American professional football coach and former quarterback who is the head coach for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). Previously, he served as the head coach of the Ne ...

, who was the offensive coordinator with the Cowboys. He became a starter at

, leading the team with 77 solo tackles, he was second with 117 total tackles, while registering four sacks, a forced fumble and one pass defensed and helped lead the Saints to the NFC Championship Game vs Chicago. On February 9,

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, he signed a four-year extension contract. He started 14 games, recording 96 tackles (56 solo), a pass defensed, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and one tackle for a loss. In

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, he was named the Saints Defensive MVP, after finishing with 145 tackles, 79 solo tackles (second on the team), 8 passes defensed, 2 sacks and one forced fumble. In

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, he was a starting

on the Saints'

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...

championship team. He started 14 games, missing the last two regular season contests with a concussion. He recorded 106 tackles (74 solo), 2 interceptions, 4 pass defensed and 2 fumble recoveries. He was the team's leading tackler during their playoff run that included wins over opposing

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

Kurt Warner Kurtis Eugene Warner (born June 22, 1971) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals. His career, whi ...

Brett Favre Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 cons ...

and

Peyton Manning Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the In ...

Super Bowl XLIV Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champions New Orleans Saints and the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Indianapolis Colts to decide the National Football League (NFL) c ...

. In 2010, he started 14 games at

, missing contests with a hamstring injury against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

and

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

. He posted 98 tackles (46 solo), 3 passes defensed, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one

tackle. On July 29,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, he signed a two-year contract with the Saints after the Kansas City Chiefs offered a free agent contract. He appeared in 16 games with 14 starts from both the strongside and weakside positions, collecting 84 tackles, one sack, one interception, 5 passes defensed, one forced fumble and 3

tackles. Shanle finished his 7-year Saints career after playing in a total of 97 games with 94 starts and 673 total tackles (top ten in team history). Since Payton took over as the Saints head coach in 2006, no other linebacker has more tackles than Shanle, and he ranks second defensively in total tackles behind

strong safety Safety (S), historically known as a safetyman, is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free sa ...

Roman Harper Roman Harper (born December 11, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, and was selected by the New Orleans Saints ...

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/45597769/picking-best-nfl-draft-picks-ever-every-slot-common-era-1967-2024

External links

Nebraska bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shanle, Scott 1979 births Living people People from St. Edward, Nebraska Sportspeople from Nebraska Players of American football from Nebraska American football linebackers Nebraska Cornhuskers football players St. Louis Rams players Dallas Cowboys players New Orleans Saints players