Tweet
Art Shell to return to Raiders as head coach
Art Shell has been hired as the 15th coach of the Oakland Raiders, with a press conference scheduled at the club's facility Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Shell, 59, had a 56-41 record as the Raiders head coach from 1989-94. He was let go after a 9-7 season in favor of Mike White, who guided the team in its first season back in Oakland.
Shell, an offensive tackle for the Raiders from 1968 to 1982, was the first African-American head coach in NFL history. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989.
After being fired by the Raiders, Shell worked as a line coach in both Kansas City and Atlanta. Owner Al Davis, who said publicly he regretted firing Shell, interviewed Shell for the Raiders opening in 1998, eventually hiring Jon Gruden.
Shell was not a serious enough candidate to be contacted initially after the Raiders fired Norv Turner on Jan. 3.
The Raiders interviewed Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders, San Diego Chargers wide receivers coach James Lofton, Tampa Bay Bucs defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, Louisville coach Bobby Petrino and most recently Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt for the position, and also had talks with former Rams head coach Mike Martz as well as Raiders quarterbacks coach John Shoop.
On Thursday, Petrino said through the Louisville athletic department he had turned down the job, and Whisenhunt removed his name from the running. Raiders sources said neither man had received a job offer.
Shell, who also had talks with Davis last week, was at the Raiders facility Friday morning. Davis arrived at 4 p.m., with the club making the announcement of Saturday's press conference before 8 p.m.
Also the No. 9 coach in Raiders history, Shell becomes the sixth different head coach Davis has hired since he returned the team to Oakland in 1995 after 13 years in Los Angeles.
Shell's Raiders teams won one division title in 1990 and made the playoffs two other times. They won the AFC West in 1990 with a 12-4 record, eventually losing to the Buffalo Bills 51-3 in the AFC championship game.
He has worked for the NFL as a senior vice president of football operations and development for the past three years.
With the Raiders having fallen on hard times with a 13-35 record over the past three seasons after winning the AFC title in 2002, Davis hopes Shell can rekindle a proud tradition. With the Raiders, Shell played in 24 playoff games, started on two Super Bowl champions and played in eight Pro Bowls.
Source: AP