On Sunday afternoons in the Valley, his voice now cuts through the airwaves. AQ Shipley, once the Cardinals’ rock-solid center, is back with the team; not in pads, but in the booth as the organization’s new radio analyst.
He’s following in the footsteps of Ron Wolfley, the iconic voice Cardinals fans leaned on for nearly 25 years.
“I’m not going to emulate Ron... I'm just fair, honest, and call it how I see it. Hopefully people like it.”
For a guy who spent a decade protecting quarterbacks and celebrating wins on plane rides home with teammates, the booth is a new field, but one that feels natural.
“It’s fun. I wish my voice was more of a growl, but the feedback’s been good, so I’ll take it.”
AQ’s story begins in Moon, Pennsylvania, a small town 20 minutes outside Pittsburgh bleeding black and gold.
“My whole college years were Pittsburgh winning Super Bowls.”
His hero was Mike Webster, one of the greatest centers ever to play, who anchored the Steelers’ dynasty teams of the 1970s. Webster’s son was a childhood teammate of AQ’s, and one night after a high school game, AQ received something he’ll never forget: a handwritten letter from Webster himself.
“That was surreal.”
Football was the natural path for a kid who, by freshman year of high school, already stood 6'1”, 275 pounds. He played basketball, dabbled in baseball, but the gridiron was home.
At Penn State, he arrived as a defensive lineman, only to be moved to center- a position he barely knew. By his third year, he was an All-American, winning the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s best center.
“I didn’t even know who Dave Rimington was when I got to college,” AQ laughs. “Then I win the award named after him.”
For every NFL dream, there’s a dose of reality. At the Combine, AQ’s measurements came under fire.
“I never knew I had short arms until that day,” he says.
Scouts wrote him off. What should have been an early-round pick dropped him into the seventh round. The wait was brutal.
“I had many people at my house. I couldn’t sit still, so I had to leave. I went for a walk, and that’s when the call came. It was the Steelers, and by the time I was home, it was scrolling across the screen. Drafted by my hometown team.”
Playing in Pittsburgh turned out to be more distraction than blessing.
“Every bar I walked into, people knew me,” he admits.
His next stop, Philadelphia, became pivotal. There, under line coach Juan Castillo, AQ found his footing.
“He was the hardest-working coach. He just kept telling me, ‘You work hard, good things will happen.’ I still carry that with me.”
Stops in Baltimore and Indianapolis followed. In Indy, with Bruce Arians and Harold Goodwin- two coaches who’d once drafted him in Pittsburgh- AQ finally earned his first NFL start.
“We were down big at half against Green Bay, came back to win late. That start sent my career on a wild ride.”
When Arians got the Cardinals’ head coaching job in 2013, AQ dreamed of reuniting. Two years later, he made it happen. In Arizona, he found more than just a team- he found a family.
“Bruce preached trust, loyalty, respect. It sounds cliché, but it worked. We’d watch Monday Night Football together, grab burgers, have a couple drinks, laugh. That’s what I miss… moments with the boys.”
AQ started 48 straight games for the Cardinals, protecting Carson Palmer and paving the way for David Johnson. He also found something else: Arizona itself.
“Three months in, I knew this was home. I remember calling my dad: no clouds in three months, spring training going on. I fell in love before summer hit.”
By 2019, AQ was near retirement. Then his buddy Bruce called… again. Talk about loyalty. Tampa Bay needed him.
“The timing couldn’t have been crazier. We’d just moved into a house. We had a six-week-old with colic. My wife was like, ‘You’re not serious right now.’”
But he went. In a COVID-stricken season, AQ started games for the Buccaneers, including one where he kept Aaron Donald off the stat sheet. Weeks later, Tampa won the Super Bowl.
“That was 2020. Weirdest year ever. Empty stadiums, quarantine hotels. But we won. And I got my ring. I’ve only worn it four times. It’s obnoxious. Huge.”
Off the field, AQ’s life is just as colorful. He’s a regular on The Pat McAfee Show, a friendship that began with a late-night curfew break at the College Football Awards.
“We met at Disney (for the awards). He looked at me like, ‘We’re not doing curfew, right?’ Next thing you know, we’re out all night at Downtown Disney,” AQ laughs.
“That’s Pat. He’s always on. He’s changed the game for sports broadcasting- bringing the real, raw, and relatable.”
That friendship has turned into a weekly seat at one of the most-watched sports shows in America, where AQ’s voice joins the mix with guests ranging from Jason and Travis Kelce to Andrew Santino, Miles Teller, Glenn Powell, and even Tom Cruise.
“Athletes are trained to give cookie-cutter answers. Pat makes it impossible not to be authentic. I love that I get to be part of that.”
There’s also his unlikely love of cooking, sparked by Food Network marathons. It led him to celebrity chef Beau MacMillan, now a close friend and partner in Taste of the NFL, where they’ve cooked together for over a decade.
“Bo’s dragon sauce is the best thing I’ve ever had.”
Today, he and his wife Shari raise three kids in Arcadia. Shari is a founding member of WINI (Women In Need Initiative), an organization built on the belief that giving back should be inclusive and approachable.
"Many moms want to be a part of a volunteer community, but often feel intimidated or don’t know where to begin. WINI provides that starting place,” Shari explains.
Now, with over 200 volunteers across Arizona, WINI proudly serves as a volunteer arm to organizations throughout the Valley, amplifying support for women and children who need it most.
“It's a community here. That’s what I love about Arizona,” reflects AQ.
At 38 years young, AQ has played for his childhood team, won a Super Bowl, sat in locker rooms with legends, and forged a second act behind the mic. But what he treasures most isn’t the trophy case.
“I miss the comradery. That’s what football gave me. And now I get to stay around the game in Arizona, my home. Coming full circle means everything.”
IG @aqshipley
AQ & Shari’s Next Play: REFFER
AQ and Shari Shipley know the power of trust. After years of moving city to city, raising families, and leaning on teammates for advice, they teamed up with serial entrepreneur KG Hagedorn to create REFFER, a mobile app designed to replace anonymous reviews with authentic referrals from the people you actually know.
“We created REFFER to capture the team-level trust we relied on when moving cities; honest referrals from people you actually know,” says AQ.
The platform lets users discover, share, and book trusted businesses and service providers through curated lists, VIP offers, and real recommendations from friends, teammates, and neighbors. Already working with more than 50 pro sports franchises, REFFER is redefining how communities connect with brands at scale. But at its heart, it’s built for your squad, because the best advice doesn’t come from strangers, it comes from people you trust. ref-fer.com/our-app
“I’m not going to emulate Ron with his iconic voice. I'm just fair, honest, and call it how I see it. Hopefully people like it.”