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As Associated Press sports writer Josh Dubow initially reported it: "Al Davis finally found a new coach for the Oakland Raiders -- a man he regretted firing more than a decade ago."

According to the team's official web site, Davis will introduce new head coach Art Shell at a press conference later today at team headquarters.

Shell was hired for his second stint as Raiders coach Friday night, one day after Steelers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt and Louisville coach Bobby Petrino became the latest candidates to tell the team they didn't want the job.

Whisenhunt spent most of Wednesday in Oakland discussing the job with Davis before returning to Pittsburgh and announcing his desire to remain with the Steelers on Thursday.

"I liked Al, had a good visit, a productive meeting and was flattered to be considered," Whisenhunt told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I just felt like I needed to come back here."

Shell, a long shot when the nearly month and a half 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 most of Friday with Davis and other team officials before the decision was made.

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, worked as offensive line coach for two seasons with the Chiefs and four with the Atlanta Falcons before stepping down following the 2000 season.

As Dubow noted, Davis has gone through five coaches in 11 seasons since firing Shell after the 1994 campaign, possibly scaring some candidates away from the job.

Shell did have success while working with Davis.

Shell had a 54-38 record with the Raiders after replacing Mike Shanahan four games into the 1989 season but was fired after a 9-7 non-playoff finish in 1994. According to Sacramento Bee staff writer Jim Jenkins, Shell later said he was the victim of discord among a few assistant coaches.

Years later, Davis admitted he might have made a mistake letting Shell go.

No surprise there. ... The Raiders have had only three winning seasons since Shell was fired -- one less than he had in five full seasons as coach.

Now -- thanks in part to the Raiders' traditional willingness to take their time in hiring head coaches, Shell faces a series of fairly daunting tasks just to get up to speed.

The all-important NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, the annual gathering of top draft-eligible players, begins Feb. 22. The event is one routinely attended by teams' head coaches and most of their staff members in addition to administrators.

Meaning Shell will have to work quickly to put together his staff and set his offseason priorities.

Since Turner's departure, six assistant coaches from his tenure have left. The most recent to depart are assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye, who will coach running backs for the New York Jets, and offensive-line coach Jim Colletto, hired by UCLA.

Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan had his contract extended by Davis before the interview process was in full swing, an unusual move in that head coaches prefer to pick their staff.

Once his staff is complete, the real work begins.

Shell takes over a Raiders team that has struggled mightily since going to the Super Bowl following the 2002 season. They won just 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.

This past season began with optimism after Oakland acquired receiver Randy Moss and running back LaMont Jordan to help quarterback Kerry Collins and the offense. But the Raiders lost their first three games and never were in contention for a playoff spot.

Turner struggled to utilize Moss, who was unable to provide the big plays that made him one of the game's biggest stars in Minnesota. Injuries slowed Moss in the middle of the season and even a brief quarterback change from Collins to Marques Tuiasosopo didn't help.

The Raiders scored 51 points in their final five games and lost their last six overall and eight of nine. At 4-12, they finished with one less victory than in Turner's first season.

Perhaps the most glaring statistic was Oakland's failure to win a division game last season for the first time since Davis came aboard. The Raiders went 1-11 against the AFC West during Turner's two seasons.

In addition to Whisenhunt, Davis interviewed Al Saunders, James Lofton and Rod Marinelli, and had talks with former St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz, Oakland quarterbacks coach John Shoop and Petrino.

Saunders decided to take a job running the Washington Redskins' offense, Marinelli was hired as Detroit Lions coach, Martz will be the Lions' offensive coordinator next season and Petrino said he wants to stay at Louisville.