Art Shell

Arthur Lee Shell Jr., born November 26, 1946, is a former professional football player and coach. He spent his entire playing career as an offensive tackle for the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders in the American Football League and later the NFL. Shell played college football at Maryland State College (now the University of Maryland Eastern Shore) and was selected by the Raiders in the third round, 80th overall, of the 1968 combined NFL/AFL draft. He later served two separate stints as the Raiders’ head coach. Shell made history as the second African American head coach in professional football and the first in the modern era. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013.

Shell was born in Charleston or North Charleston, South Carolina, the oldest child of Arthur Lee Shell Sr., a machine set operator, and Gertrude Shell, who died when he was 15. After her death, Shell took on extra responsibility caring for his siblings. He attended the segregated Bonds-Wilson High School—now closed—graduating in 1964, and was coached by James Fields and Eugene Gray. He earned all-state honors in both basketball and football. In 2015, he was inducted into the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame.

At Maryland State College (now UMES), a historically Black college in Princess Anne, Maryland, Shell played offensive and defensive tackle under coach Roosevelt “Sandy” Gilliam. He was named Little All-America as a senior in 1967, All-Conference for three seasons, and All-America by the Pittsburgh Courier and Ebony magazine in 1967. His teams posted a 20–8–1 record. Future Hall of Fame running back Emerson Boozer was a teammate. Shell earned a Bachelor of Science in industrial arts in 1968 and is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

Drafted in the third round by the AFL’s Oakland Raiders, Shell appeared in 23 postseason games, including eight AFL or AFC championship games, a loss in Super Bowl II, and wins in Super Bowls XI and XV. He was a four-time All-Pro (two first-team, two second-team) and an eight-time Pro Bowl selection. Over 15 seasons with the Raiders, he played special teams his first two years before moving to the offensive line, where he excelled at both pass and run blocking. Shell started 156 consecutive games until a 1979 preseason injury, then returned for another 51 straight games before a 1982 injury ended his career. He played alongside Hall of Fame guard Gene Upshaw across three decades and was also linemates with Hall of Famers Jim Otto and Bob Brown.

Shell was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989. In 2019, he was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. The Sporting News ranked him 55th on its 1999 list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, and The Athletic ranked him 76th in 2021. He was also on the 1970s All-Decade Team and the Super Bowl Silver Anniversary Team (1990). Shell has been inducted into the UMES Hall of Fame (1984), the CIAA Hall of Fame (2006), the Black College Hall of Fame (2011), and the College Football Hall of Fame (2013). Since 2000, he has hosted the UMES Celebrity Golf Classic.

Shell served as the Raiders’ offensive line coach from 1983 to 1988. In 1989, owner Al Davis hired him as head coach, replacing Mike Shanahan, making Shell the first Black head coach in modern NFL history and the first since Fritz Pollard in 1925. Through Davis, Shell is part of the Sid Gillman coaching tree. As head coach of the Los Angeles Raiders from 1989 to 1994, he compiled a 54–38 record. In 1990, he was named AFC Coach of the Year after leading the Raiders to a 12–4 record and an AFC West title, and became the first African American coach to reach a conference championship game. He also received the Maxwell Club’s Greasy Neale Award and Pro Football Weekly’s NFL Coach of the Year Award. Davis fired Shell after a 9–7 season in 1994, later calling it a mistake.

After leaving the Raiders, Shell coached offensive lines for the Kansas City Chiefs (1995–1996) and Atlanta Falcons (four years, resigning in early 2001). He then served as a senior vice president for the NFL, overseeing football operations and development from 2004. On February 11, 2006, he was re-hired as head coach of the Oakland Raiders. The team finished 2–14, its worst record since 1962, despite a strong defense, and Shell was fired again on January 4, 2007.

Shell is the father of Billie.