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.
Chefs made their way into celebrity land a while ago. But how many celebrities that weren’t trained as professional cooks are actually whizzes in the kitchen? Here are several that come to mind.
Actress Julia Roberts is confident about her cooking skills. “I’m quite a good cook,” she told E! News. “I’m like a closet home ec teacher…I can really cook anything.” Roberts has said she often cooks fish for herself and her kids. And speaking of her three children, “They think that I’m a good cook,” Roberts told People. “They actually told me that I should open a restaurant.” She also relishes cooking for the holidays, particularly shredded Brussel sprouts. Roberts hasn’t published a cookbook, but we did find recipes attributed to her for peach crisp and banana hemp muffins. Or you can make the same summer salad the actress supposedly eats.
Chrissy Teigen started off as a supermodel. Then her love of cooking filtered into her professional life too. At this point, she’s created recipes for a limited Blue Apron release and also just launched her own home and cooking line at Target named “Cravings,” after the two cookbooks she’s released. Teigen describes cooking as “a time of peace” for herself. So maybe peace out to her tuna melt sandwich or the fried chicken wings that are a favorite of her husband, John Legend.
Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, comes from a cooking Italian family. Her father started his own restaurant in New York and also published a cookbook. And apparently, Lady Gaga has inherited the family’s cooking genes. Her Instagram account occasionally features photos of her culinary activities. Sure, sometimes it’s topless cooking. But other times it’s more poignant like in the post she shared about her bringing food to the family of her dear friend who passed away. Want to try a Gaga/Germanotta family favorite? Check out her recipe for whole wheat pasta with a sweet fennel sauce.