CIAA Hall of Fame Inductee Art Shell returns
as NFL Raiders head coach
Februry 11, 2005
NFL.com wire reports
ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Al Davis turned to a familiar
face to turn the Oakland Raiders around after the worst three-year
stretch since he joined the franchise more than four decades
ago.
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Art Shell |
Davis hired Art Shell for his second stint as Raiders coach
on Feb. 10, one day after Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator
Ken Whisenhunt became the latest candidate to tell the team
he didn't want the job.
Shell, a long shot when the 5½-week search began after
Norv Turner was fired Jan. 3, first talked to Davis about taking
the job last week. The 59-year-old Shell met with Davis and
other team officials and will be formally introduced at a news
conference.
The first black head coach in modern NFL history when the
Raiders hired him in 1989, Shell becomes the seventh one currently
in the league. Of the 10 openings this offseason, the only
other black coach hired was Herman Edwards, who was traded
from the New York Jets to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Shell, who had been working as the senior vice president of
football operations and development for the NFL, hasn't been
a head coach since the Raiders fired him following the 1994
season in a move Davis has said he still regrets.
Davis has gone through five coaches in 11 seasons since firing
Shell, possibly scaring some candidates away from the job.
Shell did have success while working with Davis. The coach
had a 54-38 regular-season record with the Raiders, leading
them to the AFC Championship Game following the 1990 season.
But he didn't get a second chance as a head coach until now.
He worked
as offensive line coach for two seasons with the Kansas City
Chiefs and four with the Atlanta Falcons before stepping down
following the 2000 season.
The Raiders have had only three winning seasons since Shell
was fired -- one less than he had in five full seasons as coach.
With less than two weeks until the scouting combine begins,
Shell will have to work quickly to put together his staff and
set his offseason priorities.
He takes over a team that has struggled mightily since going
to the Super Bowl following the 2002 season. The Raiders won
13 games over the last three years, the first time they had
three losing seasons in a row since before Davis joined the
franchise in 1963.
Drafted from Maryland State (now Maryland-Eastern Shore),
Shell made eight Pro Bowls and won two Super
Bowls as a standout offensive tackle in a 15-year career with
the Raiders that led to his induction into the Pro Football
Hall of Fame.
He is slated for induction into the CIAA-John B. McLendon
Hall of Fame on March 3.
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