Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Weight 120 kg | Name Art Shell Positions Tackle | |
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Date of birth: (1946-11-26) November 26, 1946 (age 69) High school: North Charleston (SC) Bonds-Wilson NFL draft: 1968 / Round: 3 / Pick: 80 Education University of Maryland Eastern Shore Children Arthur III Shell, Christopher Shell Similar People Jim Otto, Gene Upshaw, Al Davis, Howie Long, Jack Del Rio | ||
Rugby Player Reacts to ART SHELL #76 The Top 100 NFL's Greatest Players!
Art Shell talks about Super Bowl XV
Arthur Lee Shell Jr. (born November 26, 1946) is an American former collegiate and professional football player in the American Football League and later in the NFL, a Hall of Fame offensive tackle, and a two-time former head coach of the Oakland Raiders. He holds the distinction of becoming the second African-American head coach in the history of professional football, and the first in the sport's modern era. Shell was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989.
Contents
- Rugby Player Reacts to ART SHELL 76 The Top 100 NFLs Greatest Players
- Art Shell talks about Super Bowl XV
- Playing career
- Los Angeles Raiders
- After the Raiders
- 2006 return to Raiders
- Coaching tree
- Personal life
- References
Playing career
Shell was drafted by the American Football League's Oakland Raiders from Maryland State College. Playing offensive tackle, Shell participated in 24 playoff contests, including Super Bowls XI and XV, and was named to eight Pro Bowls.
Shell was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989. In 1999, he was ranked number 55 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.
Los Angeles Raiders
Through Al Davis, Shell is a member of the Sid Gillman coaching tree. As coach of the Raiders (at the time located in Los Angeles), Shell compiled a record of 54 wins, 38 losses, and was named AFC Coach of the Year in 1990, when the Raiders won the AFC West division with a 12-4 record, and advanced to the AFC championship game in the playoffs, becoming the first African-American coach to lead the team to the Conference Championship game. Al Davis, owner of the Raiders, fired Shell after a 9-7 season in 1994, a move Davis later called "a mistake".
After the Raiders
After leaving the Raiders, Shell went on to coaching positions with the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons, before serving as a senior vice president for the NFL, in charge of football operations.
2006 return to Raiders
Shell was officially re-hired by the Raiders as head coach on February 11, 2006. After leading the team to its worst record (2 wins, 14 losses) since 1963, Shell was fired for the second time as head coach of the Raiders on January 4, 2007. Although the Raiders' defense was one of the best in the league, its anemic offense, along with a season long feud with wide receiver Jerry Porter led to the team's downfall.
Coaching tree
Shell has worked under four NFL head coaches:
Five of Shell's assistant coaches have become NFL head coaches:
Personal life
Shell attended Bonds-Wilson High School in North Charleston, South Carolina. The school is no longer in existence. Shell is an alumnus of Maryland State College, now known as The University of Maryland Eastern Shore, located in Princess Anne, Maryland. Shell is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. In 2013, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He hosts an annual celebrity golf tournament.
Art Shell is the great uncle of Brandon Shell who was a highly touted recruit out of high school who played offensive lineman for the South Carolina Gamecocks football team and was drafted in 2016 by the New York Jets.