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.

Shell was drafted by the Oakland Raiders from University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Playing offensive tackle, Shell participated in 24 playoff contests, including Super Bowls XI and XV, and was named to eight Pro Bowls.

Art Shell, 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.

As coach of the Raiders (at the time known as the "Los Angeles Raiders"), Shell compiled a record of 56 wins, 41 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. Al Davis, owner of the Raiders, fired Shell after a 9-7 season in 1994, a move Davis said he later regretted.

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 and development.

Shell was officially re-hired by the Raiders as head coach on February 11, 2006.

He also holds the distinction of having been only the second African American head coach (after Fritz Pollard) in the history of the NFL, and the first in the league's modern era. Shell was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989.

Shell is a prominent member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the oldest intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans.

Shining Moment
In the Raiders Super Bowl XI victory over Minnesota, Art Shell limited the Vikings highly regarded defensive end Jim Marshall to no tackles, sacks or assists during the 32-14 win.

High School
Bonds-Wilson High School - North Charleston, SC

College Highlights
• Named All-Conference Three Years
• Named All-America Twice (Pittsburgh Courier and Ebony Magazine)

NFL Highlights
• Named All-Pro (1973,74,76,77)
• Selected to Eight Pro Bowls
• Named an All-American Football Conference Selection Six Straight Years (1973-78)
• Named to NFL All-Monday Night Team
• Played on Two Super Bowl Winning Teams (XI,XV)
• Inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 5, 1989