Alameda, Calif. ? Art Shell’s second stint as coach of the Oakland Raiders ended after just one season, the franchise’s worst in more than four decades.

Shell met with owner Al Davis on Thursday, and afterward the team announced that he would not return as coach for the final season of his contract.

“While Art will no longer serve as head coach, he and Mr. Davis have discussed and will continue to discuss opportunities for Art to remain a valued member of the Raider organization,” the team said in a statement.

Shell’s departure from the sideline marks the third coaching change for Davis in the past four years. Oakland has just a 15-49 record in that span, including a 2-14 mark this season that was the Raiders’ worst since 1962.

When Shell was hired to replace Norv Turner last February, he vowed to return the Raiders to their glory days. Instead, Oakland had the league’s worst record and set franchise marks for losses and fewest points scored.

Shell was unavailable for comment Thursday, but said Monday that he expected to be back for a second season.

“I firmly believe in what we’re trying to do,” he said then. “And I firmly believe in where we’re headed with this thing. Many times, a record is not an indicator, and I know it’s wins and losses that count, but I think and believe that we’re a better group than we were at the beginning of the year or at any time in the offseason.”

Shell, a Hall of Fame offensive tackle in his playing career with the Raiders, was previously fired by Davis following the 1994 season after posting a 54-38 record in five-plus years and leading the team to three playoff berths.

Davis said he long regretted firing Shell, and finally brought him back for a second stint after some other candidates bowed out during a lengthy search to replace Turner.

Jerry Porter, the team’s leading receiver in 2005, clashed with Shell’s coaching staff over offseason workout plans and publicly demanded a trade on the first day of training camp. That ultimately led to Porter being benched and later suspended, leading some players to question whether the feud was damaging the team.

Those questions only grew louder as Oakland lost its first five games, sparking talk of a possible winless season.

Consecutive home wins in late October against Arizona and defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh provided a brief respite, but Oakland lost its final nine games.