While Harry Carson is a Giants' legend and worthy of recognition, the title for South Carolina's greatest NFL player goes to Art Shell, not only for his Hall of Fame play, but for what he represents to the National Football League and society in general. Hailing from Charleston, South Carolina, offensive tackle, Art Shell, took his talents north to Maryland where he would play his collegiate footnall as a member of the Maryland State University Terrapins. While he was standout collegiately, Shell somehow slipped down to the third round of the 1968 NFL Draft being picked 80th overall by the Oakland Raiders.
Shell would go on to play his entire fifteen-season NFL career with the Oakland Raiders (1968-1972), earning two Super Bowl rings as the starting left tackle (Superbowl XI and XV), eight Pro Bowl invites, and two All-Pro First Team roster spots in 207 games and 168 starts with the Bay Area ball club. Not only was Shell inducted into the Football Hall of Fame for his performance on the field, Art Shell went on to become the second African-American head coach in the NFL and the first om the modern sports era. Shell was the first Black-American head coach to lead a team to a conference championship game (1990) and had overall head coaching record of 54-38 with two stints with the Oakland Raiders.