Raiders Royalty Art Shell Showed Backs the Way

The Las Vegas Raiders' history is lined with the names of some of the greatest players in the game's history, and none of them is bigger than Art Shell.

Art Shell of the Oakland-Los Angeles Raiders was a dominant member of the greatest offensive line ever.

Left tackle Shell, left guard Gene Upshaw, and center Jim Otto all have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, while right guard George Buehler and right tackle John Vella were almost as good.

Playing alongside such talent might have cost Shell being ranked as the best tackle ever, which he just might be.

“We played alongside each other for more than 10 years and I’ve never seen anyone play that position as well,” Upshaw, probably the best pulling guard in NFL history, said several years ago. Art dominated his opponents from start to finish.

“Just look at what happened to Jim Marshall in the Super Bowl.”

When the Raiders routed the Minnesota Vikings, 32-14, in Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, Calif., Shell led the way as Clarence Davis rushed for 137 yards, and Mark van Eeghen added 73 as the Silver and Black piled up a then-record 429 total yards.

Shell dominated Marshall, the 6-4 250-pound All-Pro defensive end, keeping him off the stat sheet. No tackles and no assists for the entire game.

“When somebody told me I had a perfect game, I was shocked because I had no idea Marshall had not been in on even one play,” Shell said later. “I was too busy to keep track. Play by play, quarter by quarter, I was totally involved in doing the best job I could.”

The 6-5, the Raiders selected 285-pound Shell in the third round (No. 80 overall) of the 1968 NFL Draft out of Maryland State, later was selected to the College Football Hall of Fame, and was a fixture for the Silver and Black at left tackle for the next 15 years.

Shell played in eight Pro Bowls, was selected to the All-Pro team four times, made the All-American Football Conference team seven consecutive years, and was voted onto the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team and the NFL 100th Anniversary team. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989.

In addition, Shell played in 24 post-season games for the Raiders, who were 15-9 in those games, including a 27-10 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XV at the Louisiana Superdome, where the offensive line protected quarterback Jim Plunkett, who passed for 261 yards and three touchdowns.

“The primary thing we saw in Art when we drafted him was his great size,” said Raiders coaching great John Madden, another Hall of Fame member. “But we also were excited that he was an accomplished basketball player. With that size, his ability to move his feet, and the agility he showed on the basketball court, we knew we had a quality prospect.’

“Plus, he was one of those quiet leaders who commanded respect just by being a great player.”

When his playing career was over, Shell went into coaching, and that 20-year career included two stints as head coach of the Raiders. He had a 54-38 record until 2-14 in his last season in 2006. Shell was named NFL Coach of the Year 1990 by Sporting News, Pro Football Weekly, United Press International, and other media organizations.

However, Shell is remembered most for the 11 seasons he played for the Raiders alongside Upshaw, as they created what many observers believe was the best 1-2 offensive line punch in NFL history.

During those 11 seasons, the Raiders claimed seven division titles and made seven AFC Championship Game appearances, plus those two victories in the Super Bowl.

With Upshaw and Shell leading the way.

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