Art Shell is a
living football legend. Along with
being one of the greatest
Offensive Lineman to ever play the
game, Shell broke even more ground
when he became the NFL's first
ever African-American head coach
when he took over the helm
for the Oakland Raiders...>>>Book
Hall of Famer Art Shell for Your Event
Shell
was a third-round draft pick of
the Oakland Raiders in 1968,
excelled on the special teams for
two seasons before winning the
starting offensive left tackle job
in his third campaign. Within a
short time, he became widely
recognized as one of the premier
offensive linemen in the National
Football League.
Through much of his career, Shell
teamed with left guard Gene
Upshaw, a 1987 Pro Football Hall
of Fame enshrinee, to provide the
Raiders with an exceptional
nucleus to a forward unit that
powered the perennially strong
Oakland offense of the 1970s.
Many observers rate Shell, who was
equally adept as a pass protector
and a blocker on running plays, as
the finest of many excellent
Raiders offensive linemen of the
1970s. Shell was a first- or
second-team All-Pro choice six
straight years from 1973 through
1978.
He
also played in eight Pro Bowl
games and 23 post-season contests,
including eight AFL/AFC
championships and the Raiders'
victories in Super Bowls XI and
XV. Shell was credited with a
nearly perfect performance against
Jim Marshall, the Minnesota
Vikings’ sterling defensive end,
in Super Bowl XI.
Art
played in his first 156 pro games
before a pre-season injury in 1979
forced him out of the lineup for
five games. He then launched
another streak of 51 games that
with an injury midway into his
final 1982 campaign.
Born in Charleston, South Carolina
Shell was All-State in both
football and basketball at
Bonds-Wilson High School in North
Charleston. In college with the
Maryland State-Eastern Shore grid
team, he starred on both offense
and defense. Art was named
All-Conference three years,
All-America two years by the
Pittsburgh Courier and Ebony
Magazine and little All-America as
a senior in 1967.
