BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRICAN AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYER IN THE NFL ARTHUR "ART" SHELL : A STAR HEAD COACH : GOES INTO THE "HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

                           BLACK               SOCIAL               HISTORY                                                                                                                                                                Arthur "Art" Shell  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 third-ever African American head coach (after Fritz Pollard and Wayne Fontes) in the history of professional football, and the second in the sport's modern era.

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.

Coaching career

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.