Shealy is a lifelong resident of Dothan, Alabama. After graduating from high school in 1976, he played football on a scholarship for coach Bear Bryant at the University of Alabama. Shealy was a Wishbone formation quarterback for the Tide from 1976 to 1979. He was part of Alabama's 28 consecutive wins—the longest win streak in school history—from 1978 to 1980. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1980.[3] Shealy hosted The Bear Bryant Show in 1982 and served as a graduate assistant in the football program while attending law school.[4] He received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1984.[3]
Shealy joined the Dothan law firm of Buntin & Cobb as an associate in 1984. Today he is a senior partner in the firm, which is now known as Shealy, Crum & Pike, P.C. He practices civil litigation with an emphasis on insurance, corporate defense, personal injury, and product liability. Shealy and his wife, Ann, have five children, Steadman Jr., Jacqueline,[5]
Anna Catharine, Robert, and John David.[3]