William Alfred Shea (/ʃeɪ/ SHAY; June 21, 1907 – October 2, 1991) was an American lawyer, philanthropist, civic leader and sports team owner.

Shea was offered shares of the New York Mets in exchange for the services rendered on behalf of the City of New York regarding the team; however, Shea turned down the offer, stating he was would not accept monetary gain in exchange for something he considered a civic action.

[citation needed] Shea worked for two state insurance bureaucracies before entering private practice in 1940.

He first tried to bring an existing franchise to New York, but the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, and Pittsburgh Pirates all refused his overtures.

In 2008, the New York Mets retired the name "Shea" on the outfield wall of Shea Stadium alongside the other elite players and managers whom the Mets have deemed worthy of such an honor over the years (Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, Gil Hodges, Casey Stengel, and Jackie Robinson, retired by all teams at the request of Major League Baseball).

Of the 15 honored individuals admitted to the Executives & Pioneers Division of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame post-World War II, Shea served as a friend, an advisor, a peer, and as counsel to no fewer than two-thirds thereof (Happy Chandler; Ford Frick; Warren Giles; Clark Griffith; William Harridge; Bowie Kuhn; Leland MacPhail Sr.; Leland MacPhail Jr.; Walter O'Malley; Alejandro Pompez; Branch Rickey; Bill Veeck; George Weiss; J. Leslie "J.L."

[2][4] He further persuaded Harry Wismer to sell the New York Titans (now the Jets), and Sonny Werblin to buy them, and was integral to the creation and administration of the initial annual championship games between the AFL and the NFL, now known as the Super Bowl (thanks to Lamar Hunt).