Shell, Art

Impact on the world

Became the first African American head coach in the modern NFL when the Raiders hired him in 1989, the first Black head coach in the league since Fritz Pollard in the 1920s; notably, by the time of his hiring the NBA had already employed 18 Black head coaches and MLB four Black managers, underscoring how far behind professional football lagged on this front.

Life & background

An eight-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle who won two Super Bowls with the Raiders and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989, Shell was promoted from offensive line coach to head coach that same year, becoming the first Black head coach in the modern era of the NFL and the first since Fritz Pollard in the 1920s. He led the Raiders to three playoff appearances, including a 1990 AFC Championship Game berth, the first time a Black head coach had taken a team that far, before being fired in 1994 in a move Raiders owner Al Davis later called a mistake. Reflecting on the hire, Shell said the league's eventual adoption of the Rooney Rule, requiring teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operation jobs, 'shows what people can do if given an opportunity.'

Sources

1. Washington Post; Bleacher Report; Raiders.com