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Al Davis

May 09, 2023

For other people named Al Davis, see Al Davis (disambiguation).

Allen Davis (July 4, 1929 – October 8, 2011) was an American football coach and executive. He was the principal owner and general manager of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) for 39 years, from 1972 until his death in 2011. Prior to becoming the principal owner of the Raiders, he served as the team's head coach from 1963 to 1965 and part owner from 1966 to 1971, assuming both positions while the Raiders were part of the American Football League (AFL). He also served as the commissioner of the AFL in 1966.

Al Davis
Davis c. 1970
Personal information
Born:(1929-07-04)July 4, 1929
Brockton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died:October 8, 2011(2011-10-08) (aged 82)
Oakland, California, U.S.
Career information
High school:Erasmus Hall
(Brooklyn, New York)
College:Wittenberg University

(attended)

Syracuse
Career history
As a coach:
As an executive:
Career highlights and awards
Head coaching record
Regular season:23–16–3 (.583)
Coaching stats at PFR
Executive profile at PFR
Pro Football Hall of Fame

Known for his motto "Just win, baby",[1] the Raiders became one of the NFL's most successful and popular teams under Davis' management. The franchise enjoyed their greatest successes during the 1970s and 1980s where they were perennial playoff contenders and won three Super Bowl titles. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.

Davis was active in civil rights, refusing to allow the Raiders to play in any city where black and white players had to stay in separate hotels.[2][3][4] He was the first NFL owner in the modern era to hire a black head coach (Art Shell),[5][6] the first to hire a female chief executive (Amy Trask),[7] and the second NFL owner to hire a Latino head coach (Tom Flores).[8] He remains the only executive in NFL history to be an assistant coach, head coach, general manager, commissioner, and owner.[9][10][11]

Early life

Davis was born in Brockton, Massachusetts, to a Jewish family. Davis' father, Louis Davis, worked in a variety of trades in Massachusetts; having found some success in the garment manufacturing field, he moved to Brooklyn, New York, in 1934 with his wife, Rose, and their two sons, Jerry and Allen. Louis Davis rented a sixth-floor walkup for his family off Utica Avenue, became very successful in the garment trade, and put his two sons through college before seeking a more comfortable dwelling in Atlantic Beach, New York. Although there are a number of stories of Louis Davis backing his younger son in anything so long as the boy did not get caught or back down from a confrontation, most of these stories derive from Al Davis. Childhood friends depicted him as more of a talker than a fighter, though very good with his mouth. Young Al's sport of choice was basketball, and he gained a reputation of a hard player, if not the most skillful. As a boy, he was determined to play for Coach Al Badain at Erasmus Hall High School, passing up the opportunity to attend school closer to his house. Although he was only a reserve on the Erasmus team, and did not play much, Davis studied Badain's coaching techniques, and felt he learned much from him—in the 1980s, with Badain ill and in need, Davis brought his elderly former coach to the West Coast to witness his Raiders in the Super Bowl, and paid the man's debts.[12]

Despite Davis's slight role on his high school team, Raiders media guides later published descriptions of Davis which depicted him as a schoolboy star, only to have the claims scaled back—slightly—in future editions after reporters investigated the matter. His lack of football playing experience (he did play football for his high school fraternity) made him one of the few to be a head coach in the NFL or AFL despite never having played even for the high school varsity.[13][14]

Davis graduated from high school in January 1947, immediately enrolling at Wittenberg College in Springfield, Ohio at age 17. The school had recruited Davis, though it did not extend him a scholarship. He spent a semester there, occupying himself with baseball and plans to transfer to a higher-profile school. In mid-1947, he transferred to Syracuse University. Although Davis repeatedly tried out for the various varsity teams, the height of his athletic career at Syracuse was warming the bench for the junior varsity baseball team. Frustrated by this, he briefly transferred to Hartwick College, also in New York State, in 1948, but soon returned to Syracuse. Despite Davis's lack of athletic success, he commonly mingled with varsity athletes, many of whom assumed he was also one but on another team.[15] Unsuccessful in his efforts to join the men's basketball team, Davis became interested in football strategy, and haunted the football team's practices until asked to leave by the head coach, suspicious of Davis for taking notes. Davis also took the academic courses in football strategy given by the assistant coaches, and ordinarily attended only by players.[16]

Early coaching career

College coach

In job hunting, he would introduce himself as "Davis from Syracuse", likely intentionally from confusion with George Davis, star halfback for the school's football team. Turned down at Hofstra University and by Bill Altenberg, athletic director at Adelphi University (both on Long Island), he approached Adelphi's president. What went on between the two men is not known—his biographer Mark Ribowsky suggests Davis used a combination of "bluff and con," but a half hour after Altenberg dismissed Davis from his office, he received a call from the president that he had a new freshman football coach.[17]

Military service

In 1952, with his student deferral ended upon receipt of his master's degree, Davis was inducted into the United States Army. He quickly secured a place attached to a public relations unit near Syracuse, and set about obtaining a place on one of the coaching staff for the military's football teams. General Stanley Scott of Fort Belvoir, Virginia, obtained Davis's services in 1953 as football coach for his post's football squad. At the time, military football was taken very seriously; the teams were well-stocked with drafted college stars, and often scrimmaged National Football League (NFL) teams. Davis coached Fort Belvoir, just south of Washington, D.C., to a record of eight wins, two losses, and one tie (8–2–1), missing a chance to play in the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego because of a final-game loss to the nearby Quantico Marine Base. As a private first class, he was often coaching players of a higher rank, including officers.[18] Near the end of 1952, he was called to testify before a congressional committee investigating whether athletes were being coddled in the military. Although most of Davis's team was sent to Korea, he remained at Fort Belvoir until his discharge in 1954.[19][20] While coaching in the army, Davis sold scouting information about his players to NFL teams.[21] One NFL executive who contacted Davis was Pete Rozelle of the Los Angeles Rams, but as Rozelle had been allocated no money, Davis gave him no information.[22]

Scouting and return to college coaching

After his military service, Davis married his fiancée, Carol Sagal, in a Brooklyn synagogue; the couple established a first home in Atlantic Beach, near Al Davis's parents. Davis worked for a year as a freelance scout for the Baltimore Colts of the NFL. He had considerable knowledge of the players he had had on his roster or coached against, and advised the Colts which players to offer contracts to or draft as they returned to civilian life. Davis cultivated the Colts' head coach, Weeb Ewbank, hoping Ewbank's connections would lead to a coaching job for Davis, and these efforts paid off in January 1955, when Davis was hired by The Citadel in South Carolina as an assistant to first-year head coach John Sauer. In contrast to the glory won by its alumni in war, the South Carolina military academy's football team had lost every game the previous season, and previous head coach John McMillan was dismissed after two seasons. Davis stated, in his interview, that he would be able to persuade small-town boys from the Northeast to attend The Citadel, which often had difficulty in recruiting star players because of its regimented lifestyle. He was successful in his recruiting, though not all remained past the first training camp, at Parris Island Marine base.[23]

During games, Davis was stationed in the press box, calling plays which were generally run by Sauer without modification. The Citadel unexpectedly began the season by winning five of its first six games, though it lost the next three to end the season 5–4. Davis received much credit for his role in The Citadel's success, though losing Sauer's regard through too-aggressive self-promotion. The 1956 season was less successful, as the team finished 3–5–1. Sauer resigned at the end of the season; Davis unsuccessfully sought the head coaching position and then resigned; Ribowsky records that there were allegations of payments and other benefits to players in violation of NCAA rules; he also states that Davis pressured professors to change grades to keep student-athletes eligible to play football. By the time he left The Citadel, Davis had already arranged his next job, at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles.[24]

Davis was an effective recruiter as a USC assistant coach, bringing one prospect, Angelo Coia to the Los Angeles Coliseum at night, and as the lights were slowly turned off, asked the student to imagine himself playing there before 100,000 people. Coia played for USC and later worked for the Raider front office.[22] When Davis arrived, USC was on NCAA probation for allowing alumni to surreptitiously give money to players, and had not been permitted to play in a bowl game after the 1956 season; these sanctions hampered Davis's first two seasons at USC, 1957 and 1958, during which the team posted a combined 5-14-1 record. The head coach, Don Clark, came to rely heavily on Davis. Clark and Davis hoped that 1959 would bring a conference championship and the chance to play in the Rose Bowl, but in April 1959 USC was sanctioned by the NCAA again, this time for inducing recruits signed by other schools into breaking their letters of intent. Not allowed to play on television, USC won its first eight games before losing to UCLA and Notre Dame. Despite the defeats, the team was Pacific Coast Conference champions, but because of the sanctions could not play in the Rose Bowl. Clark resigned after the season; although Davis put in for the position, it went to another assistant, John McKay, who did not keep Davis on his staff.[25]

Chargers assistant

Davis had met Los Angeles Rams coach Sid Gillman in Atlantic City at a coaching clinic; the NFL coach had been impressed that Davis had sat in the front row, taken copious notes, and had asked many questions afterwards. Gillman was fired after the 1959 season, but was quickly hired by the Los Angeles Chargers of the startup American Football League (AFL) for their debut 1960 season. He hired Davis as backfield coach on a coaching staff which included future hall of famer Chuck Noll as well as future AFL head coach and NFL general manager Jack Faulkner. Gillman later stated that he hired Davis for his success both as a coach and as a recruiter, and because "Al had that knack of telling people what they wanted to hear. He was very persuasive."[26][27]

The AFL's rules were crafted to encourage wide-open, high-scoring football. In later years, much to Gillman's anger, Davis hinted that he had designed the Chargers' offense, or at least deserved partial credit.[28] The team initially proved successful, winning the AFL Western Division in 1960 and 1961, though losing each time in the AFL Championship Game to the Houston Oilers. Due to financial losses sustained by drawing small crowds to the huge Los Angeles Coliseum, the team moved to San Diego in 1961. In 1962, however, the team won only four of fourteen games.[29]

One player whom Davis recommended to the Chargers, and then secured, was wide receiver Lance Alworth of Arkansas, who was a first-round selection of NFL San Francisco 49ers in the 1962 NFL Draft. Unwilling to give the 49ers a chance to sign him, Davis raced onto the field at the conclusion of Alworth's final college game and signed him to a contract under the goalpost as 49ers head coach Red Hickey watched helplessly from the stands. Davis later stated, "I knew it wasn't safe to let Alworth go to the dressing room."[30] In 1978, Davis was selected by Alworth to introduce him at his induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.[30]

First stint with the Raiders

Main article: Oakland Raiders

Background and hiring

Early in the 1962 season, Davis spoke with Oakland Raiders owner F. Wayne Valley about their head coaching job. However, Davis was not then interested.[31] After the team's disastrous 1962 season, in which it lost its first 13 games before defeating a Boston Patriots team demoralized from having just been eliminated from playoff contention, Valley sought to replace head coach Red Conkright.[32]

A number of names were rumored to be in contention for the Raiders head coaching job, from Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi to Lou Agase, former coach of the Canadian Football League Toronto Argonauts. On January 1, 1963, Davis met with Valley and the other Raiders general partner, Ed McGah.[33] According to witnesses present at the negotiations, Davis did not have a high opinion of Valley and McGah, indicating during their absence that they did not know the right questions to ask. They offered him a one-year contract as head coach. He declined, insisting on a multi-year deal as both head coach and general manager, with complete control over football operations. They settled on three years[34] at a salary of $20,000 per annum. According to Davis biographer Ira Simmons, the date that Davis came to Oakland, January 18, 1963, "was probably one of the three or four most important dates in AFL history. Maybe NFL history too."[35] Valley later stated, "we needed someone who wanted to win so badly, he would do anything. Everywhere I went, people told me what a son of a bitch Al Davis was, so I figured he must be doing something right."[33]

The Raiders team had been a late addition to the original AFL in 1960; the franchise had been awarded when the owners of the AFL Minnesota team had been induced to join the NFL instead. While it inherited the departed Minnesota team's draft picks, it had little else. The franchise, originally nicknamed the Señors (changed to Raiders after columnists raised objections) was not established until the other AFL teams had had the opportunity to sign players and coaches, a handicap which contributed to it being the only team to post a losing record in each of the AFL's first three seasons. The University of California refused to let it play at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, and no other facility in the East Bay was suitable even for temporary use, forcing it to play its first two seasons at Kezar Stadium and Candlestick Park, both located across the bay in San Francisco.[36]

Valley and his group purchased the Raiders in 1961. Valley and his partners used the threat of leaving to induce city officials to construct Frank Youell Field, a temporary facility in downtown Oakland next to the Nimitz Freeway which held about 15,000 people, the use of which was shared with high schools. Planning for a larger stadium — what became the Oakland Coliseum — began, but there was no guarantee that it would ever be built. [32]

Youngest coach in the AFL

Davis immediately began to try to build the Raiders into a championship team, both on the field and in the front office. Many Raiders players and front-office employees were dismissed. Since their first season, the Raiders had used hand-me-down black and gold uniforms from the University of the Pacific in Stockton. Davis had been impressed by the black uniforms of the football players at West Point, which he felt made them look larger. Soon after he arrived, the Raiders adopted their now-iconic silver and black motif. The Raiders' offices were on an open mezzanine overlooking a downtown Oakland hotel lobby; Davis got Valley to move them to more private facilities. With no agreement between the AFL and NFL, drafted players often went to the higher bidder. Davis could not hope to outbid the NFL and drafted players with remaining college eligibility, hoping to sign them once they finished their careers. Thus, his hopes of success for 1963 rested on what trades he could make, and in signing players cut by other teams.[37]

Davis's methods of acquiring these players caused other teams' executives to regard him with respect and caution. He acquired All-AFL guard Bob Mischak from the New York Jets for Dan Ficca without telling Jets coach/general manager Weeb Ewbank that Ficca would not be released from his military service until after the season began. Wide receiver Art Powell had played out his contract with New York and become a free agent, and had apparently been signed by the Buffalo Bills. Davis learned that the Powell contract had been made before the season ended, and thus constituted tampering. He signed Powell himself, and the Bills did not contest it.[38]

Gillman's Chargers teams had used high-powered offenses. Davis sought to increase their power. From the opening of training camp, he sought to motivate his players, using techniques he had learned in the military. From the start, players saw phrases like "commitment to excellence" and, on schedules next to the time of games, "We go to war!"[39] In the season opener, at Houston's Jeppesen Stadium against the Oilers, the two-touchdown underdog Raiders won, 24–13, then came home to defeat the Bills 35–17. A home loss to the Patriots was next, followed by an East Coast road trip on which the Raiders lost all three games.[40] To growing excitement in Oakland, the Raiders did not lose the rest of the season, finishing 10–4, a game behind the division champion Chargers, whom the Raiders defeated twice. Davis was voted AFL Coach of the Year. The 1963 Oakland Raiders were the only pro football team to improve its record by nine victories under the 14-game schedule.[41]

Though the team slipped to 5–7–2 in 1964, it rebounded to an 8–5–1 record in 1965.

AFL commissioner (1966)

Main article: AFL–NFL merger

By the end of its sixth season in 1965, the American Football League had overcome its initial status of bare-bones survivor to become a significant rival to the NFL. With a television contract with NBC and major stadiums constructed or being built, the AFL could afford to compete on equal terms for players with the NFL. Not all AFL owners sought a merger — Jets owner Sonny Werblin, for example, felt that with brand-new Shea Stadium and the young star Joe Namath at quarterback, his team could compete on equal terms with the crosstown NFL Giants, then playing at Yankee Stadium in the South Bronx. However, most AFL owners wanted to be a part of the older, better-established NFL, whose owners feared continued escalation of player salaries.[42]

While the AFL owners liked the league's first commissioner, Joe Foss, they had little confidence in his abilities at a time for struggle between the two leagues, and Foss resigned on April 7, 1966.[43] Davis, 36, was voted in as commissioner the following day,[44] and took the job with Valley's agreement, hired as a fighter who would win the war with the NFL. The owners, led by Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, felt that Davis could put pressure on the NFL and force a favorable settlement. His biographer, Glenn Dickey, notes that Davis was deceived by the owners, "He thought he had been hired to win the war with the NFL. In fact, the owners only wanted to force a peace. They were quietly negotiating a merger while Davis was fighting a war."[45]

According to sportswriter Ken Rappoport in his history of the AFL, "Davis had a plan, and, considering the football genius the man would become, no one should have been surprised that it would work—brilliantly."[46] Davis's target in the war was the NFL's quarterbacks, arranging for AFL teams to sign star players, such as Roman Gabriel of the Rams, who would be free agents after 1966 although that season had not yet begun. Gabriel, with his AFL contract to begin in 1967, received an immediate $100,000 bonus. The signing of 49ers quarterback John Brodie was announced by Davis and the AFL.[a][45] These transactions increased the financial pressure on the NFL's weaker franchises, which faced the prospect of losing their best players in a year, or greatly increasing their labor costs. A merger agreement was announced on June 8 and Davis was greatly displeased with the agreement on two fronts. It required the Jets and Raiders to pay indemnities to the Giants and 49ers for establishing teams within their exclusive territories, and it also put him out of a job: the merger agreement immediately abolished the post of AFL commissioner. Pete Rozelle would continue in his post as NFL commissioner under the merger agreement. Davis had hoped to be named commissioner if any merger was reached; the result increased what already had become a dislike of Rozelle.[47][48]

Davis resigned as commissioner on July 25, 1966. AFL owners wanted Davis to continue serving as AFL President. AFL owners had explicitly agreed that the office of AFL President would be subservient to that of the NFL Commissioner, and Davis flatly refused to consider serving as a subordinate to Rozelle. Eventually, Milt Woodard (who was assistant commissioner under Foss)[49] agreed to serve as President of the AFL.[50]

Back with the Raiders

After resigning as AFL commissioner, Davis formed a holding company, A.D. Football, Inc. and returned to his old club as one of three general partners, along with Wayne Valley and Ed McGah. He owned a 10% stake in the team, and was also named head of football operations. From this day onward, Davis was operating head of the franchise; Valley and McGah largely left the Raiders in Davis' hands.

On the field, the team Davis had assembled and coached steadily improved. With John Rauch (Davis's hand-picked successor) as head coach, the Raiders won the 1967 AFL Championship, defeating the Houston Oilers 40–7. The win earned the team a trip to Super Bowl II, where they were beaten 33–14 by Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers. The following two years, the Raiders again won Western Division titles, only to lose the AFL Championship to the eventual Super Bowl winners—the New York Jets (1968) and Kansas City Chiefs (1969).

In 1969, John Madden became the team's sixth head coach, and under him, the Raiders became one of the most successful franchises in the NFL, winning six division titles during the 1970s. In 1970, the AFL-NFL merger took place and the Raiders joined the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the newly merged NFL. The first post-merger season saw the Raiders win the AFC West with an 8–4–2 record and go all the way to the conference championship, where they lost to the Colts. Despite another 8–4–2 season in 1971, the Raiders failed to win the division or achieve a playoff berth.

Raiders ownership

In 1972, while managing general partner Valley was attending the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Davis drafted a revised partnership agreement that made him the new managing general partner, with near-absolute control over team operations.[51] McGah signed the agreement. Since two of the team's three general partners had voted in favor of the agreement, it was binding under California partnership law at the time. Valley sued to overturn the agreement once he returned to the country but was unsuccessful. Valley sold his interest in 1976 and from that point none of the other partners played any role in the team's operations,[51] despite the fact that Davis did not acquire a majority interest in the Raiders until 2005, when he bought the shares held by McGah's family (McGah died in 1983). At the time of his death, Davis owned about 67% of the team.

In addition to serving as owner, Davis effectively served as his own general manager until his death — longer than any football operations chief in the league at the time. When he died, he was one of three NFL owners who had the title or powers of general manager, the others being Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys and Mike Brown of the Cincinnati Bengals. Davis was long recognized as one of the most hands-on owners in professional sports and reportedly had more authority over day-to-day operations than any other owner in the league.

Davis was known throughout the league as a maverick and dressed the part. By the time he had taken complete control of the Raiders, he had assumed his classic image—slicked-back hair in a 1950s-style ducktail, dark sunglasses, tracksuits and Brooklyn-tinged speech ("the Raiduhs").

With Davis in control, the Raiders became one of the most successful teams in all of professional sports. From 1967 to 1985, the team won 13 division championships, one AFL championship (1967), three Super Bowls (XI, XV and XVIII) and made 15 playoff appearances. Though the Raiders have fallen on hard times in recent years, going 37–91 from 2003 to 2010, they are one of only five teams to play in the Super Bowl in four different decades, the others being the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, New York Giants and Denver Broncos.

In 1992, Davis was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a Team and League Administrator and was presented by John Madden. Davis was chosen by a record nine Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees to present them at the Canton, Ohio ceremony: Lance Alworth, Jim Otto, George Blanda, Willie Brown, Gene Upshaw, Fred Biletnikoff, Art Shell, Ted Hendricks and Madden.

In 2007, Davis sold a minority stake in the Raiders for $150 million[52] and said that he would not retire until he won two more Super Bowls or died.[53]

Davis' generosity was legendary when it came to helping former players in need, although he routinely did so without fanfare. His philosophy was: once a Raider, always a Raider.[54]

Legal battles

Davis was long considered one of the most controversial owners in the NFL and was involved in multiple lawsuits involving Los Angeles, Oakland, Irwindale and the NFL. In 1980, he attempted to move the Raiders to Los Angeles but was blocked by a court injunction. In response, Davis filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL and his team won the Super Bowl. In June 1982 a federal district court ruled in Davis' favor and the team relocated to Los Angeles for the 1982 NFL season. When the upstart United States Football League filed its antitrust suit in 1986, Davis was the only NFL owner who sided with the USFL.

In 1995, after being unable to secure a new stadium in the Los Angeles area and when a proposed move to Sacramento that involved Davis taking ownership of the Sacramento Kings fell apart, Davis moved the team back to Oakland then sued the NFL, claiming the league sabotaged the team's effort to build a stadium at Hollywood Park in Inglewood by not doing enough to help the team move from the antiquated Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to a new stadium complete with luxury suites. The NFL won a verdict in 2001, but Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Richard Hubbell ordered a new trial amid accusations that one juror was biased against the team and Davis and that another juror committed misconduct. A state appeals court later overturned that decision. The case was thrown out in 2007 when the California Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the verdict against the Raiders stood. This was the last of several lawsuits the Raiders had outstanding against the league and its stadium landlords.[citation needed]

In the mid-1990s, Davis sued the NFL on behalf of the Raiders, claiming the Raiders had exclusive rights to the Los Angeles market, even though the Raiders were in Oakland. Davis and the Raiders lost the lawsuit.[55]

In 2007, NFL Films chose the feud between Davis and the NFL/Pete Rozelle as their number 1 greatest feud in NFL history on the NFL Network's Top Ten Feuds, citing almost a half-century of animosity between Davis and the league. Some believe that the root of Davis' animosity towards the NFL and his former co-owners in the AFL was the surreptitious way they pushed the AFL-NFL merger behind his back.

The feud was most recently chronicled in Al Davis vs. the NFL, a documentary on the feud between Davis and Rozelle first broadcast by ESPN on February 4, 2021, as part of its 30 for 30 series. The film's narrative structure uses reconstructions of Davis and Rozelle to "tell" its story, using deepfake technology and extensive content from the NFL Films archives.[56]

Early moves

Davis introduced the Raiders' signature colors silver and black in 1963 in a unilateral move as head coach and general manager.[57] In 1966 as AFL Commissioner, Davis initiated a bidding war with the NFL over players.[58] But it was his return to Oakland in 1967 that allowed him to reach his true calling. That season Davis made a number of roster moves, including landing Buffalo Bills quarterback Daryle Lamonica, a backup for starter Jack Kemp on two AFL champion Bills teams. Another move at first thought to be desperate was the signing of former Houston Oilers QB George Blanda, who was already 39 but was still a very solid placekicker, and had played on the first AFL champion teams with Houston, as well as for the Chicago Bears and Baltimore Colts before that. Davis identified Blanda as a mentor for Lamonica as well as a solid special teams man despite his advanced age. That year, he also drafted guard Gene Upshaw, who would become the cornerstone of the Oakland offensive line well into the 1980s. Lamonica propelled the Raiders to a 13–1 won-loss record in the 1967–68 season, and they coasted to the league championship with a 40–7 victory over Houston, although they were defeated easily by the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl II. Oakland under Davis would go on to win the two remaining AFL Western Division titles before the 1970 AFL–NFL merger.

During the first years of the new league format Oakland was a dominant franchise, winning the AFC West Division every year except 1971, and was kept out of the Super Bowls between 1970 and 1975 only by phenomenal Baltimore Colts, Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers teams. Indeed, during the nine-year span from 1967 through 1975, the Raiders were eliminated by the team that won the Super Bowl on seven occasions (Green Bay in Super Bowl II at the end of the 1967 season, Super Bowl III champion New York in the 1968 AFL Championship Game, Super Bowl IV champion Kansas City in the 1969 AFL Championship Game, Super Bowl V champion Baltimore in the 1970 AFC Championship, Super Bowl VIII champion Miami in the 1973 AFC Championship Game, and Super Bowl IX and X champion Pittsburgh in the 1974 and 1975 AFC Championship Games). Finally, in 1976, the Raiders won their first title in Super Bowl XI under Davis's homegrown head coach John Madden. From 1970 to 1981 Oakland was able to reach the AFC Championship Game seven out of eleven years, and won two Super Bowls. They also captured additional division titles in that span.

Trading Stabler

In the 1980 offseason, star quarterback Ken Stabler attempted to renegotiate his contract with the Raiders. A veteran “gunslinger”, Stabler had won the Raiders' only title until then and had been a mainstay since his 1968 signing with the team as a protégé of Lamonica. Davis angered much of the Raider community by dealing him to the Oilers for quarterback Dan Pastorini, a trade many regarded as selfishly seeking revenge while strengthening the team's top AFC rival. Pastorini was injured in week 5, and the starting role fell to his backup, Jim Plunkett. The former Heisman Trophy winning but little achieved professional led the Raiders to a first-place tie with San Diego for the best AFC West record and the wild card spot for their first playoff appearance since 1977. The Raiders defeated Stabler and the Oilers 27–7 in the AFC wild card game and subsequently became the third second-place team to play in the Super Bowl, joining the 1969 Kansas City Chiefs and the 1975 Dallas Cowboys. They defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 27–10 in Super Bowl XV, enabling them to become the very first wild-card team to ever win the Super Bowl.[59] Davis had been a preseason goat in Oakland for the Stabler deal. The Raiders won the AFC semifinal game over the Browns 14–12 at Cleveland in one of the most exciting games, with a key interception of a Brian Sipe pass sealing victory in the freezing cold by Lake Erie. Then they defeated San Diego 34–27 on the road on their march to victory in Super Bowl XV in New Orleans.

Marcus Allen benching

Marcus Allen, the most valuable player in the Raiders' Super Bowl XVIII victory, was ordered benched by Davis for two years following a contract dispute.[60] Davis only commented, "He was a cancer on the team."[1] Allen said that Davis "told me he was going to get me." He added that "I think he's tried to ruin the later part of my career. He's trying to stop me from going to the Hall of Fame. They don't want me to play."[61] Davis called Allen's charges "fraudulent", and then-Raiders coach Art Shell said only he decided who plays.[61] The Raiders released Allen in 1992, and he played the last five years of his 16-year, Hall of Fame career with the Kansas City Chiefs.[60]

Davis deals Gruden

On February 18, 2002, Davis dealt his head coach Jon Gruden to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for Tampa Bay's 2002 and 2003 first-round draft picks, 2002 and 2004 second-round draft picks, and $8 million in cash.[62] His replacement, Bill Callahan, led Oakland to an 11–5 record and their third consecutive division championship. The Raiders reached Super Bowl XXXVII, where they faced Gruden, who led Tampa Bay to its first Super Bowl berth. The Buccaneers won in a 48–21 blowout, in a matchup that was termed the "Gruden Bowl".[63] Seventeen years later, Gruden returned to the Raiders as head coach in 2018 after seven years with the Buccaneers and nine years with ESPN, though he would be fired in 2021 as a result of emails leaked of Gruden making racist and sexist comments.

Losing years

Although it was not apparent at the time, the Raiders' loss in the Super Bowl would be Davis' last hurrah. The Raiders would start to struggle and suffer six consecutive losing seasons from 2003 to 2009—the longest drought in franchise history. This included double-digit loss record seasons in seven consecutive years from 2003 to 2009. The team cycled through multiple head coaches. Their 2007 first overall draft pick, quarterback JaMarcus Russell, was called "the biggest draft flop in NFL history" by FoxSports.com.[64] Davis was largely blamed, and his motto of "Just win, baby!" was mocked by many.[64] Russell was released by the Raiders in May 2010 and never played another down in the NFL.

The 2011 Raiders' record was 2–2 at Davis' death.[64] The day after his death, the Raiders defeated the Houston Texans 25–20 on a final play interception by safety Michael Huff in the end zone. The Raiders finished the season with a record of 8–8 and missed the playoffs, after starting the season 7–4.

Civil rights and diversity

Davis breached several civil rights and diversity barriers during his career with the Raiders. In 1963, the Raiders were scheduled to play a preseason game in Mobile, Alabama. In protest of Alabama's segregation laws, Davis refused to allow the game to be played there and demanded the game be moved to Oakland. He also refused to allow the players to travel to cities to play games where the black and white players would have to stay in separate hotels.[65]

Davis was the first NFL owner to hire an African American head coach, Art Shell, and a female chief executive, Amy Trask.[1] He also hired Tom Flores, the second Latino head coach in the league.[66][b]

Head coaching record

Team Year
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish
OAK 1963 10 4 0 .714 2nd in AFL Western
OAK 1964 5 7 2 .417 3rd in AFL Western
OAK 1965 8 5 1 .615 2nd in AFL Western
Total 23 16 3 .583

Death

Davis died, aged 82, in his suite at the Hilton Hotel Oakland Airport at 2:45 a.m. PDT on October 8, 2011, in Oakland, California.[69][70][71] Nine days later, a private service and funeral was held for Davis, who was interred at Chapel of the Chimes.[72] In the days following the funeral, The Associated Press obtained information pertaining to Davis' death. The death certificate, issued by Alameda County, disclosed Davis had died from "an abnormal heart rhythm, congestive heart failure and a heart muscle disease".[71] Davis had previously undergone heart surgery in 1996. Davis was also afflicted with skin cancer and had undergone throat surgery in the days preceding his death.[71]

There was an outpouring of support and grief in the wake of Davis' death. John Madden, who had remained close to Davis since their first meeting in 1966, lamented, "You don't replace a guy like that. No way. No damn way. You look at the things he's done that no one ever did before, being a scout, assistant coach, head coach, general manager, commissioner and owner."[73] The Sunday following his death, the Oakland Raiders adorned their helmets with a sticker which read "Al" in Davis' memory. A league-wide moment of silence was also observed.[74] Despite the widespread remembrance of his accomplishments, Davis' position as a controversial figure lives on as part of his legacy. Sportswriter Rick Reilly was particularly adamant that the questionable personnel decisions Davis made later in his career and his arrogant, brash personality should not be forgotten amidst sportswriters' praise of him as an innovative owner.[75]

Davis was survived by his wife, Carol, and their only child, Mark, a graduate of California State University, Chico.[76] Mark assumed his father's old title of managing general partner of the Raiders and with his mother owns the majority of the team. Both Mark and Carol represent the Raiders in owners' meetings.[77] Carol suffered a serious heart attack in 1979 and was hospitalized for three weeks but was able to make a complete recovery.[78]

Al Davis' mother Rose had lived to age 103. She died in 2001, having outlived her husband Lou by 40 years.[79]

The "11th man"

The day after Davis' death, the Raiders played the Houston Texans. Oakland was leading the game, 25–20, late in the fourth quarter. On the final play of the game, Raider free safety Michael Huff intercepted Texan quarterback Matt Schaub in the end zone to preserve the victory.[80] The Raiders had only 10 defensive players on the field for the play.[81] The play was referred to as the "Divine Interception"[81] with media speculating that Davis was the 11th player on the field in spirit.[82][83] Raiders coach Hue Jackson said Al Davis "had his hand on that ball."[84] Jackson was highly emotional in victory, as well as Davis's son Mark Davis. Jackson said, "One thing coach [Davis] always taught me was he said: 'Hue, don't believe in plays. Believe in players and eventually the players will make plays for you.' And that's what I did. I could just hear him saying that to me the whole time. Believe in your players and not the plays." "We know he's looking down on us right now," Hue said. "This win is for him. I appreciate everything he's done for this organization. He's never gone in our eyes. We'll never let him go. He's with us."[85]

The Al Davis Memorial Torch

After Davis' death, Mark Davis and the Raiders created the Al Davis Memorial Torch.

There are currently two such torches: the original torch is a gas-operated torch that was brought out on game days at the Oakland Coliseum, and was lit by a former Raiders player or coach prior to each Raider home game. That individual would then also sign the back or one of the side panels of the torch.

When the team relocated to Las Vegas in 2020, the torch from the Coliseum was moved to and placed in front of the team's new headquarters in Henderson, Nevada, with the player-signed side and back panels being put on display at Allegiant Stadium, where an 85 feet (26 m) tall torch (that rises above the main concourse) was built.[86] The Allegiant Stadium Al Davis Memorial Torch is the largest 3D printed object in the world.[87]

Accolades

In 2003, Davis was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[88]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The Gabriel and Brodie transactions were undone by the merger agreement. Rappoport, p. 170.
  2. ^ Tom Fears of the New Orleans Saints in 1967 was the first Latino head coach in the NFL. Flores, who started coaching in 1979, is listed in some sources as being the first.[67][68]

References

  1. ^ a b c "NFL mourns passing of Raiders owner Al Davis". SportingNews.com. Associated Press. October 8, 2011. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013.
  2. ^ "Al Davis' diversity legacy: Of Silver & Black, and the full rainbow". The Mercury News. September 10, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  3. ^ Elman, Jake (February 2, 2021). "Late Raiders Owner Al Davis Fought Segregation Laws as Fiercely as He Did the NFL". Sportscasting | Pure Sports. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  4. ^ "Hall of Famer Al Davis went the extra yard for social justice | Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site". pfhof. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  5. ^ Frank, Vincent. "Al Davis: Art Shell and 5 NFL Coaches Who Owe Most to Oakland Raiders Owner". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  6. ^ Davenport, Gary. "Al Davis: Hiring Art Shell Paved the Way for Diversity in the NFL". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  7. ^ RaiderusMax. "Amy Trask of the Oakland Raiders: The Toughest and 1st Female CEO in the NFL". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  8. ^ "Oakland Raiders Owner Al Davis Dies, Hired First Black and Latino Coaches in the NFL". Rolling Out. October 8, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  9. ^ Robertson, Maddie. "The impact of one man on America and professional football, the story of Al Davis". Footballscoop. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  10. ^ Schalter, Ty. "Al Davis Death: Oakland Raiders Owner Championed Diversity in the NFL". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  11. ^ "Hall of Famer Al Davis went the extra yard for social justice | Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site". pfhof. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  12. ^ Ribowsky 1991, pp. 15–24.
  13. ^ Dickey, p. 3.
  14. ^ Simmons, pp. 12–13.
  15. ^ Ribowsky 1991, pp. 27–31.
  16. ^ Ribowsky 1991, pp. 34–35.
  17. ^ Ribowsky 1991, pp. 11–13.
  18. ^ Toppmeyer, Blake. "How former Tennessee Vols lineman Jim Haslam came to play football for Al Davis on a military base", Knoxnews.com, April 23, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  19. ^ Ribowsky 1991, pp. 41–54.
  20. ^ Richmond 2010, p. 41.
  21. ^ Simmons, pp. 14–15.
  22. ^ a b Dickey, p. 4.
  23. ^ Ribowsky 1991, pp. 58–64.
  24. ^ Ribowsky 1991, pp. 65–76.
  25. ^ Ribowsky 1991, pp. 76–92.
  26. ^ Dickey, p. 5.
  27. ^ Simmons, p. 18.
  28. ^ Ribowsky 1991, pp. 95–97.
  29. ^ Simmons, pp. 18–21.
  30. ^ a b Simmons, p. 19.
  31. ^ Simmons, pp. 37–38.
  32. ^ a b Simmons, pp. 29–35.
  33. ^ a b Richmond 2010, p. 44.
  34. ^ Ribowsky 1991, pp. 110–111.
  35. ^ Simmons, pp. 29–30.
  36. ^ Simmons, pp. 23–29.
  37. ^ Ribowsky 1991, pp. 118–121.
  38. ^ Ribowsky 1991, pp. 121–123.
  39. ^ Ribowsky 1991, pp. 125–130.
  40. ^ Ribowsky 1991, pp. 130–134.
  41. ^ Simmons, pp. 43–45.
  42. ^ Rappoport, pp. 159–166.
  43. ^ "Foss quits $50,000 post as AFL czar". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. April 8, 1966. p. 2, part 2.
  44. ^ "Appoint Davis as AFL czar". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. April 9, 1966. p. 1, part 2.
  45. ^ a b Dickey, pp. 38–39.
  46. ^ Rappoport, p. 164.
  47. ^ Rappoport, pp. 164–166.
  48. ^ Ribowsky 1991, pp. 165–177.
  49. ^ "Woodard new boss in AFL power shift". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. July 26, 1966. p. 13, part 2.
  50. ^ "Art Modell interim president for NFL". Miami News. Associated Press. May 27, 1967. p. 1B.
  51. ^ a b Sandomir, Richard (October 10, 2011). "A brash style and power plays allowed Davis to wrest control". New York Times. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  52. ^ Young, Eric (November 19, 2007). "Davis sells minority stake in Raiders for $150M".
  53. ^ "Mercury News - San Diego Hotels Review". www.mercextra.com.
  54. ^ Steve Kroner. "'Raiders players, coaches recall Al Davis' loyalty". San Francisco Chronicle. October 9, 2011.
  55. ^ "Al Davis, Hall of Fame owner of Raiders, dies at age 82". nfl.com. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  56. ^ "ESPN Films Latest 30 for 30 Documentary Al Davis vs. The NFL to Premiere February 4" (Press release). ESPN. January 15, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  57. ^ Miller 2003, p. 119.
  58. ^ Miller 2003, p. 197.
  59. ^ Millen, Matt (October 31, 2011). "Remembering Al Davis". ESPN The Magazine.
  60. ^ a b Gay, Nancy (August 4, 2003). "Raiders Notebook: Classy Allen has the last word on his day". San Francisco Chronicle. p. D–7. from the original on September 16, 2011. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  61. ^ a b "Pro Football: Raiders' Allen Irked at Davis". The New York Times. December 15, 1992. from the original on October 14, 2011.
  62. ^ "Gruden agrees to five-year deal with Bucs". ESPN. February 18, 2002. from the original on September 24, 2012.
  63. ^ Martzke, Rudy. "'Gruden Bowl' keeps fans glued to TVs". USA Today. January 27, 2003.
  64. ^ a b c Marvez, Alex (October 8, 2011). "Davis leaves Raiders on the right path". FoxSports.com. Fox Sports Interactive Media. from the original on October 10, 2011.
  65. ^ Judy Battista. "Davis Lived Up to the Label of Maverick Till His Death". New York Times. October 8, 2011.
  66. ^ Farmer, Sam (October 9, 2011). . Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 10, 2011.
  67. ^ "History: Latin-Americans in Pro Football". Pro Football Hall of Fame. from the original on October 14, 2011.
  68. ^ Branch, John (November 15, 2008). "For Alberto Riveron, From Cuba to N.F.L.'s First Hispanic Referee". The New York Times. p. SP1. from the original on June 18, 2013.
  69. ^ McDonald, Jerry (August 12, 2016). "Al Davis' death still resonates with Raiders one year later". The Mercury News. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  70. ^ "Raiders owner Al Davis dead at 82". ESPN. Associated Press. October 9, 2011. from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  71. ^ a b c "Al Davis died of heart failure". ESPN. Associated Press. October 28, 2011. from the original on December 30, 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  72. ^ Schulman, Henry (October 17, 2011). "Raiders fans pay respects to Al Davis at Oakland chapel". San Francisco Chronicle. from the original on January 20, 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  73. ^ Sandomir, Richard (October 13, 2011). "For Grieving Madden, a Death in the Family". The New York Times. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  74. ^ "Raiders honor Davis with helmet decals, win over Texans". National Football League. Associated Press. October 9, 2011. from the original on January 21, 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  75. ^ Reilly, Rick (October 14, 2011). "Commitment to honesty". ESPN. from the original on April 18, 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  76. ^ Tafur, Vittorio (October 9, 2011). "Davis family will retain ownership of Raiders". San Francisco Chronicle. from the original on March 28, 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  77. ^ "Raiders owner admits L.A. stadium talks". ESPN. Associated Press. January 10, 2012. from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  78. ^ "Carole Davis returns to fun, travel and football". Gadsden Times. November 9, 1980. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  79. ^ . Amarillo Globe-News. Associated Press. October 23, 2001. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  80. ^ . Archived from the original on October 12, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
  81. ^ a b "Final play – Raiders had 10 on field". Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
  82. ^ "Was Davis the 11th Raider on the field?". Retrieved October 12, 2011.
  83. ^ "Raiders vs. Texans, NFL Scores: Last-Second Michael Huff Interception Seals Raiders 25–20 Win". Retrieved October 12, 2011.
  84. ^ Samano, Simon (October 12, 2011). "Raiders knew they were a man down on final play vs. Texans". nfl.com. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
  85. ^ "Raiders hold off Texans on emotional day after honoring Al Davis". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 9, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
  86. ^ Akers, Mick (September 6, 2018). "FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE RAIDERS' FUTURE HOME". lasvegasweekly.com. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  87. ^ Akers, Mick (November 25, 2019). "The skeleton of the memorial torch at @AllegiantStadm being constructed. Will be 85 feet tall when complete and the largest 3-D printed object in the world, according to Don Webb. #vegas #raiders #stadiumpic.twitter.com/gcikVfIRnS". @mickakers. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  88. ^ "Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Home". scjewishsportshof.com.

Bibliography

  • Dickey, Glenn (1991). Just Win, Baby: Al Davis & His Raiders. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. ISBN 978-0-15-146580-4.
  • Ribowsky, Mark (1991). Slick: The Silver and Black Life of Al Davis. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-02-602500-3.
  • Simmons, Ira (1990). Black Knight: Al Davis and His Raiders. Rocklin, California: Prima Publishing. ISBN 978-1-55958-055-7.
  • Miller, Jeff (2003). Going Long: The Wild Ten-Year Saga of the Renegade American Football League In the Words of Those Who Lived It. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-141849-0.
  • Olderman, Murray (2012). Just Win, Baby: The Al Davis Story. Illinois: Triumph Books. ISBN 978-1-60078-764-5.
  • Davis, Jeff (2008). Rozelle, Czar of the NFL. New York: McGraw Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-147166-4.
  • Rappoport, Ken (2010). The Little League that Could: A History of the American Football League. Lanham, Maryland: Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58979-463-4.
  • Richmond, Peter (2010). Badasses: The Legend of Snake, Foo, Dr. Death, and John Madden's Oakland Raiders. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-183430-1.

External links

May 09, 2023
davis, other, people, named, disambiguation, allen, davis, july, 1929, october, 2011, american, football, coach, executive, principal, owner, general, manager, oakland, raiders, national, football, league, years, from, 1972, until, death, 2011, prior, becoming. For other people named Al Davis see Al Davis disambiguation Allen Davis July 4 1929 October 8 2011 was an American football coach and executive He was the principal owner and general manager of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League NFL for 39 years from 1972 until his death in 2011 Prior to becoming the principal owner of the Raiders he served as the team s head coach from 1963 to 1965 and part owner from 1966 to 1971 assuming both positions while the Raiders were part of the American Football League AFL He also served as the commissioner of the AFL in 1966 Al DavisDavis c 1970Personal informationBorn 1929 07 04 July 4 1929Brockton Massachusetts U S Died October 8 2011 2011 10 08 aged 82 Oakland California U S Career informationHigh school Erasmus Hall Brooklyn New York College Wittenberg University attended SyracuseCareer historyAs a coach Adelphi 1950 1951 Offensive line coach Fort Belvoir 1953 Baltimore Colts 1954 Scout The Citadel 1955 1956 Offensive line coach Southern California 1957 1959 Offensive line coach Los Angeles San Diego Chargers 1960 1962 Wide receivers coach Oakland Raiders 1963 1965 Head coachAs an executive American Football League 1966 Commissioner Oakland Raiders 1966 1971 Part owner amp general manager Los Angeles Oakland Raiders 1972 2011 Principal owner amp general managerCareer highlights and awards3 Super Bowl champion XI XV XVIII AFL Coach of the Year 1963 Head coaching recordRegular season 23 16 3 583 Coaching stats at PFRExecutive profile at PFRPro Football Hall of FameKnown for his motto Just win baby 1 the Raiders became one of the NFL s most successful and popular teams under Davis management The franchise enjoyed their greatest successes during the 1970s and 1980s where they were perennial playoff contenders and won three Super Bowl titles He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992 Davis was active in civil rights refusing to allow the Raiders to play in any city where black and white players had to stay in separate hotels 2 3 4 He was the first NFL owner in the modern era to hire a black head coach Art Shell 5 6 the first to hire a female chief executive Amy Trask 7 and the second NFL owner to hire a Latino head coach Tom Flores 8 He remains the only executive in NFL history to be an assistant coach head coach general manager commissioner and owner 9 10 11 Contents 1 Early life 2 Early coaching career 2 1 College coach 2 2 Military service 2 3 Scouting and return to college coaching 2 4 Chargers assistant 3 First stint with the Raiders 3 1 Background and hiring 3 2 Youngest coach in the AFL 4 AFL commissioner 1966 5 Back with the Raiders 6 Raiders ownership 6 1 Legal battles 6 2 Early moves 6 3 Trading Stabler 6 4 Marcus Allen benching 6 5 Davis deals Gruden 6 6 Losing years 6 7 Civil rights and diversity 7 Head coaching record 8 Death 8 1 The 11th man 9 The Al Davis Memorial Torch 10 Accolades 11 See also 12 Notes 13 References 14 Bibliography 15 External linksEarly life EditDavis was born in Brockton Massachusetts to a Jewish family Davis father Louis Davis worked in a variety of trades in Massachusetts having found some success in the garment manufacturing field he moved to Brooklyn New York in 1934 with his wife Rose and their two sons Jerry and Allen Louis Davis rented a sixth floor walkup for his family off Utica Avenue became very successful in the garment trade and put his two sons through college before seeking a more comfortable dwelling in Atlantic Beach New York Although there are a number of stories of Louis Davis backing his younger son in anything so long as the boy did not get caught or back down from a confrontation most of these stories derive from Al Davis Childhood friends depicted him as more of a talker than a fighter though very good with his mouth Young Al s sport of choice was basketball and he gained a reputation of a hard player if not the most skillful As a boy he was determined to play for Coach Al Badain at Erasmus Hall High School passing up the opportunity to attend school closer to his house Although he was only a reserve on the Erasmus team and did not play much Davis studied Badain s coaching techniques and felt he learned much from him in the 1980s with Badain ill and in need Davis brought his elderly former coach to the West Coast to witness his Raiders in the Super Bowl and paid the man s debts 12 Despite Davis s slight role on his high school team Raiders media guides later published descriptions of Davis which depicted him as a schoolboy star only to have the claims scaled back slightly in future editions after reporters investigated the matter His lack of football playing experience he did play football for his high school fraternity made him one of the few to be a head coach in the NFL or AFL despite never having played even for the high school varsity 13 14 Davis graduated from high school in January 1947 immediately enrolling at Wittenberg College in Springfield Ohio at age 17 The school had recruited Davis though it did not extend him a scholarship He spent a semester there occupying himself with baseball and plans to transfer to a higher profile school In mid 1947 he transferred to Syracuse University Although Davis repeatedly tried out for the various varsity teams the height of his athletic career at Syracuse was warming the bench for the junior varsity baseball team Frustrated by this he briefly transferred to Hartwick College also in New York State in 1948 but soon returned to Syracuse Despite Davis s lack of athletic success he commonly mingled with varsity athletes many of whom assumed he was also one but on another team 15 Unsuccessful in his efforts to join the men s basketball team Davis became interested in football strategy and haunted the football team s practices until asked to leave by the head coach suspicious of Davis for taking notes Davis also took the academic courses in football strategy given by the assistant coaches and ordinarily attended only by players 16 Early coaching career EditCollege coach Edit In job hunting he would introduce himself as Davis from Syracuse likely intentionally from confusion with George Davis star halfback for the school s football team Turned down at Hofstra University and by Bill Altenberg athletic director at Adelphi University both on Long Island he approached Adelphi s president What went on between the two men is not known his biographer Mark Ribowsky suggests Davis used a combination of bluff and con but a half hour after Altenberg dismissed Davis from his office he received a call from the president that he had a new freshman football coach 17 Military service Edit In 1952 with his student deferral ended upon receipt of his master s degree Davis was inducted into the United States Army He quickly secured a place attached to a public relations unit near Syracuse and set about obtaining a place on one of the coaching staff for the military s football teams General Stanley Scott of Fort Belvoir Virginia obtained Davis s services in 1953 as football coach for his post s football squad At the time military football was taken very seriously the teams were well stocked with drafted college stars and often scrimmaged National Football League NFL teams Davis coached Fort Belvoir just south of Washington D C to a record of eight wins two losses and one tie 8 2 1 missing a chance to play in the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego because of a final game loss to the nearby Quantico Marine Base As a private first class he was often coaching players of a higher rank including officers 18 Near the end of 1952 he was called to testify before a congressional committee investigating whether athletes were being coddled in the military Although most of Davis s team was sent to Korea he remained at Fort Belvoir until his discharge in 1954 19 20 While coaching in the army Davis sold scouting information about his players to NFL teams 21 One NFL executive who contacted Davis was Pete Rozelle of the Los Angeles Rams but as Rozelle had been allocated no money Davis gave him no information 22 Scouting and return to college coaching Edit After his military service Davis married his fiancee Carol Sagal in a Brooklyn synagogue the couple established a first home in Atlantic Beach near Al Davis s parents Davis worked for a year as a freelance scout for the Baltimore Colts of the NFL He had considerable knowledge of the players he had had on his roster or coached against and advised the Colts which players to offer contracts to or draft as they returned to civilian life Davis cultivated the Colts head coach Weeb Ewbank hoping Ewbank s connections would lead to a coaching job for Davis and these efforts paid off in January 1955 when Davis was hired by The Citadel in South Carolina as an assistant to first year head coach John Sauer In contrast to the glory won by its alumni in war the South Carolina military academy s football team had lost every game the previous season and previous head coach John McMillan was dismissed after two seasons Davis stated in his interview that he would be able to persuade small town boys from the Northeast to attend The Citadel which often had difficulty in recruiting star players because of its regimented lifestyle He was successful in his recruiting though not all remained past the first training camp at Parris Island Marine base 23 During games Davis was stationed in the press box calling plays which were generally run by Sauer without modification The Citadel unexpectedly began the season by winning five of its first six games though it lost the next three to end the season 5 4 Davis received much credit for his role in The Citadel s success though losing Sauer s regard through too aggressive self promotion The 1956 season was less successful as the team finished 3 5 1 Sauer resigned at the end of the season Davis unsuccessfully sought the head coaching position and then resigned Ribowsky records that there were allegations of payments and other benefits to players in violation of NCAA rules he also states that Davis pressured professors to change grades to keep student athletes eligible to play football By the time he left The Citadel Davis had already arranged his next job at the University of Southern California USC in Los Angeles 24 Davis was an effective recruiter as a USC assistant coach bringing one prospect Angelo Coia to the Los Angeles Coliseum at night and as the lights were slowly turned off asked the student to imagine himself playing there before 100 000 people Coia played for USC and later worked for the Raider front office 22 When Davis arrived USC was on NCAA probation for allowing alumni to surreptitiously give money to players and had not been permitted to play in a bowl game after the 1956 season these sanctions hampered Davis s first two seasons at USC 1957 and 1958 during which the team posted a combined 5 14 1 record The head coach Don Clark came to rely heavily on Davis Clark and Davis hoped that 1959 would bring a conference championship and the chance to play in the Rose Bowl but in April 1959 USC was sanctioned by the NCAA again this time for inducing recruits signed by other schools into breaking their letters of intent Not allowed to play on television USC won its first eight games before losing to UCLA and Notre Dame Despite the defeats the team was Pacific Coast Conference champions but because of the sanctions could not play in the Rose Bowl Clark resigned after the season although Davis put in for the position it went to another assistant John McKay who did not keep Davis on his staff 25 Chargers assistant Edit Davis had met Los Angeles Rams coach Sid Gillman in Atlantic City at a coaching clinic the NFL coach had been impressed that Davis had sat in the front row taken copious notes and had asked many questions afterwards Gillman was fired after the 1959 season but was quickly hired by the Los Angeles Chargers of the startup American Football League AFL for their debut 1960 season He hired Davis as backfield coach on a coaching staff which included future hall of famer Chuck Noll as well as future AFL head coach and NFL general manager Jack Faulkner Gillman later stated that he hired Davis for his success both as a coach and as a recruiter and because Al had that knack of telling people what they wanted to hear He was very persuasive 26 27 The AFL s rules were crafted to encourage wide open high scoring football In later years much to Gillman s anger Davis hinted that he had designed the Chargers offense or at least deserved partial credit 28 The team initially proved successful winning the AFL Western Division in 1960 and 1961 though losing each time in the AFL Championship Game to the Houston Oilers Due to financial losses sustained by drawing small crowds to the huge Los Angeles Coliseum the team moved to San Diego in 1961 In 1962 however the team won only four of fourteen games 29 One player whom Davis recommended to the Chargers and then secured was wide receiver Lance Alworth of Arkansas who was a first round selection of NFL San Francisco 49ers in the 1962 NFL Draft Unwilling to give the 49ers a chance to sign him Davis raced onto the field at the conclusion of Alworth s final college game and signed him to a contract under the goalpost as 49ers head coach Red Hickey watched helplessly from the stands Davis later stated I knew it wasn t safe to let Alworth go to the dressing room 30 In 1978 Davis was selected by Alworth to introduce him at his induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton Ohio 30 First stint with the Raiders EditMain article Oakland Raiders Background and hiring Edit Early in the 1962 season Davis spoke with Oakland Raiders owner F Wayne Valley about their head coaching job However Davis was not then interested 31 After the team s disastrous 1962 season in which it lost its first 13 games before defeating a Boston Patriots team demoralized from having just been eliminated from playoff contention Valley sought to replace head coach Red Conkright 32 A number of names were rumored to be in contention for the Raiders head coaching job from Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi to Lou Agase former coach of the Canadian Football League Toronto Argonauts On January 1 1963 Davis met with Valley and the other Raiders general partner Ed McGah 33 According to witnesses present at the negotiations Davis did not have a high opinion of Valley and McGah indicating during their absence that they did not know the right questions to ask They offered him a one year contract as head coach He declined insisting on a multi year deal as both head coach and general manager with complete control over football operations They settled on three years 34 at a salary of 20 000 per annum According to Davis biographer Ira Simmons the date that Davis came to Oakland January 18 1963 was probably one of the three or four most important dates in AFL history Maybe NFL history too 35 Valley later stated we needed someone who wanted to win so badly he would do anything Everywhere I went people told me what a son of a bitch Al Davis was so I figured he must be doing something right 33 The Raiders team had been a late addition to the original AFL in 1960 the franchise had been awarded when the owners of the AFL Minnesota team had been induced to join the NFL instead While it inherited the departed Minnesota team s draft picks it had little else The franchise originally nicknamed the Senors changed to Raiders after columnists raised objections was not established until the other AFL teams had had the opportunity to sign players and coaches a handicap which contributed to it being the only team to post a losing record in each of the AFL s first three seasons The University of California refused to let it play at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley and no other facility in the East Bay was suitable even for temporary use forcing it to play its first two seasons at Kezar Stadium and Candlestick Park both located across the bay in San Francisco 36 Valley and his group purchased the Raiders in 1961 Valley and his partners used the threat of leaving to induce city officials to construct Frank Youell Field a temporary facility in downtown Oakland next to the Nimitz Freeway which held about 15 000 people the use of which was shared with high schools Planning for a larger stadium what became the Oakland Coliseum began but there was no guarantee that it would ever be built 32 Youngest coach in the AFL Edit Davis immediately began to try to build the Raiders into a championship team both on the field and in the front office Many Raiders players and front office employees were dismissed Since their first season the Raiders had used hand me down black and gold uniforms from the University of the Pacific in Stockton Davis had been impressed by the black uniforms of the football players at West Point which he felt made them look larger Soon after he arrived the Raiders adopted their now iconic silver and black motif The Raiders offices were on an open mezzanine overlooking a downtown Oakland hotel lobby Davis got Valley to move them to more private facilities With no agreement between the AFL and NFL drafted players often went to the higher bidder Davis could not hope to outbid the NFL and drafted players with remaining college eligibility hoping to sign them once they finished their careers Thus his hopes of success for 1963 rested on what trades he could make and in signing players cut by other teams 37 Davis s methods of acquiring these players caused other teams executives to regard him with respect and caution He acquired All AFL guard Bob Mischak from the New York Jets for Dan Ficca without telling Jets coach general manager Weeb Ewbank that Ficca would not be released from his military service until after the season began Wide receiver Art Powell had played out his contract with New York and become a free agent and had apparently been signed by the Buffalo Bills Davis learned that the Powell contract had been made before the season ended and thus constituted tampering He signed Powell himself and the Bills did not contest it 38 Gillman s Chargers teams had used high powered offenses Davis sought to increase their power From the opening of training camp he sought to motivate his players using techniques he had learned in the military From the start players saw phrases like commitment to excellence and on schedules next to the time of games We go to war 39 In the season opener at Houston s Jeppesen Stadium against the Oilers the two touchdown underdog Raiders won 24 13 then came home to defeat the Bills 35 17 A home loss to the Patriots was next followed by an East Coast road trip on which the Raiders lost all three games 40 To growing excitement in Oakland the Raiders did not lose the rest of the season finishing 10 4 a game behind the division champion Chargers whom the Raiders defeated twice Davis was voted AFL Coach of the Year The 1963 Oakland Raiders were the only pro football team to improve its record by nine victories under the 14 game schedule 41 Though the team slipped to 5 7 2 in 1964 it rebounded to an 8 5 1 record in 1965 AFL commissioner 1966 EditMain article AFL NFL merger By the end of its sixth season in 1965 the American Football League had overcome its initial status of bare bones survivor to become a significant rival to the NFL With a television contract with NBC and major stadiums constructed or being built the AFL could afford to compete on equal terms for players with the NFL Not all AFL owners sought a merger Jets owner Sonny Werblin for example felt that with brand new Shea Stadium and the young star Joe Namath at quarterback his team could compete on equal terms with the crosstown NFL Giants then playing at Yankee Stadium in the South Bronx However most AFL owners wanted to be a part of the older better established NFL whose owners feared continued escalation of player salaries 42 While the AFL owners liked the league s first commissioner Joe Foss they had little confidence in his abilities at a time for struggle between the two leagues and Foss resigned on April 7 1966 43 Davis 36 was voted in as commissioner the following day 44 and took the job with Valley s agreement hired as a fighter who would win the war with the NFL The owners led by Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt felt that Davis could put pressure on the NFL and force a favorable settlement His biographer Glenn Dickey notes that Davis was deceived by the owners He thought he had been hired to win the war with the NFL In fact the owners only wanted to force a peace They were quietly negotiating a merger while Davis was fighting a war 45 According to sportswriter Ken Rappoport in his history of the AFL Davis had a plan and considering the football genius the man would become no one should have been surprised that it would work brilliantly 46 Davis s target in the war was the NFL s quarterbacks arranging for AFL teams to sign star players such as Roman Gabriel of the Rams who would be free agents after 1966 although that season had not yet begun Gabriel with his AFL contract to begin in 1967 received an immediate 100 000 bonus The signing of 49ers quarterback John Brodie was announced by Davis and the AFL a 45 These transactions increased the financial pressure on the NFL s weaker franchises which faced the prospect of losing their best players in a year or greatly increasing their labor costs A merger agreement was announced on June 8 and Davis was greatly displeased with the agreement on two fronts It required the Jets and Raiders to pay indemnities to the Giants and 49ers for establishing teams within their exclusive territories and it also put him out of a job the merger agreement immediately abolished the post of AFL commissioner Pete Rozelle would continue in his post as NFL commissioner under the merger agreement Davis had hoped to be named commissioner if any merger was reached the result increased what already had become a dislike of Rozelle 47 48 Davis resigned as commissioner on July 25 1966 AFL owners wanted Davis to continue serving as AFL President AFL owners had explicitly agreed that the office of AFL President would be subservient to that of the NFL Commissioner and Davis flatly refused to consider serving as a subordinate to Rozelle Eventually Milt Woodard who was assistant commissioner under Foss 49 agreed to serve as President of the AFL 50 Back with the Raiders EditAfter resigning as AFL commissioner Davis formed a holding company A D Football Inc and returned to his old club as one of three general partners along with Wayne Valley and Ed McGah He owned a 10 stake in the team and was also named head of football operations From this day onward Davis was operating head of the franchise Valley and McGah largely left the Raiders in Davis hands On the field the team Davis had assembled and coached steadily improved With John Rauch Davis s hand picked successor as head coach the Raiders won the 1967 AFL Championship defeating the Houston Oilers 40 7 The win earned the team a trip to Super Bowl II where they were beaten 33 14 by Vince Lombardi s Green Bay Packers The following two years the Raiders again won Western Division titles only to lose the AFL Championship to the eventual Super Bowl winners the New York Jets 1968 and Kansas City Chiefs 1969 In 1969 John Madden became the team s sixth head coach and under him the Raiders became one of the most successful franchises in the NFL winning six division titles during the 1970s In 1970 the AFL NFL merger took place and the Raiders joined the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the newly merged NFL The first post merger season saw the Raiders win the AFC West with an 8 4 2 record and go all the way to the conference championship where they lost to the Colts Despite another 8 4 2 season in 1971 the Raiders failed to win the division or achieve a playoff berth Raiders ownership EditIn 1972 while managing general partner Valley was attending the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich Davis drafted a revised partnership agreement that made him the new managing general partner with near absolute control over team operations 51 McGah signed the agreement Since two of the team s three general partners had voted in favor of the agreement it was binding under California partnership law at the time Valley sued to overturn the agreement once he returned to the country but was unsuccessful Valley sold his interest in 1976 and from that point none of the other partners played any role in the team s operations 51 despite the fact that Davis did not acquire a majority interest in the Raiders until 2005 when he bought the shares held by McGah s family McGah died in 1983 At the time of his death Davis owned about 67 of the team In addition to serving as owner Davis effectively served as his own general manager until his death longer than any football operations chief in the league at the time When he died he was one of three NFL owners who had the title or powers of general manager the others being Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys and Mike Brown of the Cincinnati Bengals Davis was long recognized as one of the most hands on owners in professional sports and reportedly had more authority over day to day operations than any other owner in the league Davis was known throughout the league as a maverick and dressed the part By the time he had taken complete control of the Raiders he had assumed his classic image slicked back hair in a 1950s style ducktail dark sunglasses tracksuits and Brooklyn tinged speech the Raiduhs With Davis in control the Raiders became one of the most successful teams in all of professional sports From 1967 to 1985 the team won 13 division championships one AFL championship 1967 three Super Bowls XI XV and XVIII and made 15 playoff appearances Though the Raiders have fallen on hard times in recent years going 37 91 from 2003 to 2010 they are one of only five teams to play in the Super Bowl in four different decades the others being the Pittsburgh Steelers New England Patriots New York Giants and Denver Broncos In 1992 Davis was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a Team and League Administrator and was presented by John Madden Davis was chosen by a record nine Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees to present them at the Canton Ohio ceremony Lance Alworth Jim Otto George Blanda Willie Brown Gene Upshaw Fred Biletnikoff Art Shell Ted Hendricks and Madden In 2007 Davis sold a minority stake in the Raiders for 150 million 52 and said that he would not retire until he won two more Super Bowls or died 53 Davis generosity was legendary when it came to helping former players in need although he routinely did so without fanfare His philosophy was once a Raider always a Raider 54 Legal battles Edit Davis was long considered one of the most controversial owners in the NFL and was involved in multiple lawsuits involving Los Angeles Oakland Irwindale and the NFL In 1980 he attempted to move the Raiders to Los Angeles but was blocked by a court injunction In response Davis filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL and his team won the Super Bowl In June 1982 a federal district court ruled in Davis favor and the team relocated to Los Angeles for the 1982 NFL season When the upstart United States Football League filed its antitrust suit in 1986 Davis was the only NFL owner who sided with the USFL In 1995 after being unable to secure a new stadium in the Los Angeles area and when a proposed move to Sacramento that involved Davis taking ownership of the Sacramento Kings fell apart Davis moved the team back to Oakland then sued the NFL claiming the league sabotaged the team s effort to build a stadium at Hollywood Park in Inglewood by not doing enough to help the team move from the antiquated Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to a new stadium complete with luxury suites The NFL won a verdict in 2001 but Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Richard Hubbell ordered a new trial amid accusations that one juror was biased against the team and Davis and that another juror committed misconduct A state appeals court later overturned that decision The case was thrown out in 2007 when the California Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the verdict against the Raiders stood This was the last of several lawsuits the Raiders had outstanding against the league and its stadium landlords citation needed In the mid 1990s Davis sued the NFL on behalf of the Raiders claiming the Raiders had exclusive rights to the Los Angeles market even though the Raiders were in Oakland Davis and the Raiders lost the lawsuit 55 In 2007 NFL Films chose the feud between Davis and the NFL Pete Rozelle as their number 1 greatest feud in NFL history on the NFL Network s Top Ten Feuds citing almost a half century of animosity between Davis and the league Some believe that the root of Davis animosity towards the NFL and his former co owners in the AFL was the surreptitious way they pushed the AFL NFL merger behind his back The feud was most recently chronicled in Al Davis vs the NFL a documentary on the feud between Davis and Rozelle first broadcast by ESPN on February 4 2021 as part of its 30 for 30 series The film s narrative structure uses reconstructions of Davis and Rozelle to tell its story using deepfake technology and extensive content from the NFL Films archives 56 Early moves Edit Davis introduced the Raiders signature colors silver and black in 1963 in a unilateral move as head coach and general manager 57 In 1966 as AFL Commissioner Davis initiated a bidding war with the NFL over players 58 But it was his return to Oakland in 1967 that allowed him to reach his true calling That season Davis made a number of roster moves including landing Buffalo Bills quarterback Daryle Lamonica a backup for starter Jack Kemp on two AFL champion Bills teams Another move at first thought to be desperate was the signing of former Houston Oilers QB George Blanda who was already 39 but was still a very solid placekicker and had played on the first AFL champion teams with Houston as well as for the Chicago Bears and Baltimore Colts before that Davis identified Blanda as a mentor for Lamonica as well as a solid special teams man despite his advanced age That year he also drafted guard Gene Upshaw who would become the cornerstone of the Oakland offensive line well into the 1980s Lamonica propelled the Raiders to a 13 1 won loss record in the 1967 68 season and they coasted to the league championship with a 40 7 victory over Houston although they were defeated easily by the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl II Oakland under Davis would go on to win the two remaining AFL Western Division titles before the 1970 AFL NFL merger During the first years of the new league format Oakland was a dominant franchise winning the AFC West Division every year except 1971 and was kept out of the Super Bowls between 1970 and 1975 only by phenomenal Baltimore Colts Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers teams Indeed during the nine year span from 1967 through 1975 the Raiders were eliminated by the team that won the Super Bowl on seven occasions Green Bay in Super Bowl II at the end of the 1967 season Super Bowl III champion New York in the 1968 AFL Championship Game Super Bowl IV champion Kansas City in the 1969 AFL Championship Game Super Bowl V champion Baltimore in the 1970 AFC Championship Super Bowl VIII champion Miami in the 1973 AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl IX and X champion Pittsburgh in the 1974 and 1975 AFC Championship Games Finally in 1976 the Raiders won their first title in Super Bowl XI under Davis s homegrown head coach John Madden From 1970 to 1981 Oakland was able to reach the AFC Championship Game seven out of eleven years and won two Super Bowls They also captured additional division titles in that span Trading Stabler Edit In the 1980 offseason star quarterback Ken Stabler attempted to renegotiate his contract with the Raiders A veteran gunslinger Stabler had won the Raiders only title until then and had been a mainstay since his 1968 signing with the team as a protege of Lamonica Davis angered much of the Raider community by dealing him to the Oilers for quarterback Dan Pastorini a trade many regarded as selfishly seeking revenge while strengthening the team s top AFC rival Pastorini was injured in week 5 and the starting role fell to his backup Jim Plunkett The former Heisman Trophy winning but little achieved professional led the Raiders to a first place tie with San Diego for the best AFC West record and the wild card spot for their first playoff appearance since 1977 The Raiders defeated Stabler and the Oilers 27 7 in the AFC wild card game and subsequently became the third second place team to play in the Super Bowl joining the 1969 Kansas City Chiefs and the 1975 Dallas Cowboys They defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 27 10 in Super Bowl XV enabling them to become the very first wild card team to ever win the Super Bowl 59 Davis had been a preseason goat in Oakland for the Stabler deal The Raiders won the AFC semifinal game over the Browns 14 12 at Cleveland in one of the most exciting games with a key interception of a Brian Sipe pass sealing victory in the freezing cold by Lake Erie Then they defeated San Diego 34 27 on the road on their march to victory in Super Bowl XV in New Orleans Marcus Allen benching Edit Marcus Allen the most valuable player in the Raiders Super Bowl XVIII victory was ordered benched by Davis for two years following a contract dispute 60 Davis only commented He was a cancer on the team 1 Allen said that Davis told me he was going to get me He added that I think he s tried to ruin the later part of my career He s trying to stop me from going to the Hall of Fame They don t want me to play 61 Davis called Allen s charges fraudulent and then Raiders coach Art Shell said only he decided who plays 61 The Raiders released Allen in 1992 and he played the last five years of his 16 year Hall of Fame career with the Kansas City Chiefs 60 Davis deals Gruden Edit On February 18 2002 Davis dealt his head coach Jon Gruden to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for Tampa Bay s 2002 and 2003 first round draft picks 2002 and 2004 second round draft picks and 8 million in cash 62 His replacement Bill Callahan led Oakland to an 11 5 record and their third consecutive division championship The Raiders reached Super Bowl XXXVII where they faced Gruden who led Tampa Bay to its first Super Bowl berth The Buccaneers won in a 48 21 blowout in a matchup that was termed the Gruden Bowl 63 Seventeen years later Gruden returned to the Raiders as head coach in 2018 after seven years with the Buccaneers and nine years with ESPN though he would be fired in 2021 as a result of emails leaked of Gruden making racist and sexist comments Losing years Edit Although it was not apparent at the time the Raiders loss in the Super Bowl would be Davis last hurrah The Raiders would start to struggle and suffer six consecutive losing seasons from 2003 to 2009 the longest drought in franchise history This included double digit loss record seasons in seven consecutive years from 2003 to 2009 The team cycled through multiple head coaches Their 2007 first overall draft pick quarterback JaMarcus Russell was called the biggest draft flop in NFL history by FoxSports com 64 Davis was largely blamed and his motto of Just win baby was mocked by many 64 Russell was released by the Raiders in May 2010 and never played another down in the NFL The 2011 Raiders record was 2 2 at Davis death 64 The day after his death the Raiders defeated the Houston Texans 25 20 on a final play interception by safety Michael Huff in the end zone The Raiders finished the season with a record of 8 8 and missed the playoffs after starting the season 7 4 Civil rights and diversity Edit Davis breached several civil rights and diversity barriers during his career with the Raiders In 1963 the Raiders were scheduled to play a preseason game in Mobile Alabama In protest of Alabama s segregation laws Davis refused to allow the game to be played there and demanded the game be moved to Oakland He also refused to allow the players to travel to cities to play games where the black and white players would have to stay in separate hotels 65 Davis was the first NFL owner to hire an African American head coach Art Shell and a female chief executive Amy Trask 1 He also hired Tom Flores the second Latino head coach in the league 66 b Head coaching record EditTeam YearWon Lost Ties Win FinishOAK 1963 10 4 0 714 2nd in AFL WesternOAK 1964 5 7 2 417 3rd in AFL WesternOAK 1965 8 5 1 615 2nd in AFL WesternTotal 23 16 3 583Death EditDavis died aged 82 in his suite at the Hilton Hotel Oakland Airport at 2 45 a m PDT on October 8 2011 in Oakland California 69 70 71 Nine days later a private service and funeral was held for Davis who was interred at Chapel of the Chimes 72 In the days following the funeral The Associated Press obtained information pertaining to Davis death The death certificate issued by Alameda County disclosed Davis had died from an abnormal heart rhythm congestive heart failure and a heart muscle disease 71 Davis had previously undergone heart surgery in 1996 Davis was also afflicted with skin cancer and had undergone throat surgery in the days preceding his death 71 There was an outpouring of support and grief in the wake of Davis death John Madden who had remained close to Davis since their first meeting in 1966 lamented You don t replace a guy like that No way No damn way You look at the things he s done that no one ever did before being a scout assistant coach head coach general manager commissioner and owner 73 The Sunday following his death the Oakland Raiders adorned their helmets with a sticker which read Al in Davis memory A league wide moment of silence was also observed 74 Despite the widespread remembrance of his accomplishments Davis position as a controversial figure lives on as part of his legacy Sportswriter Rick Reilly was particularly adamant that the questionable personnel decisions Davis made later in his career and his arrogant brash personality should not be forgotten amidst sportswriters praise of him as an innovative owner 75 Davis was survived by his wife Carol and their only child Mark a graduate of California State University Chico 76 Mark assumed his father s old title of managing general partner of the Raiders and with his mother owns the majority of the team Both Mark and Carol represent the Raiders in owners meetings 77 Carol suffered a serious heart attack in 1979 and was hospitalized for three weeks but was able to make a complete recovery 78 Al Davis mother Rose had lived to age 103 She died in 2001 having outlived her husband Lou by 40 years 79 The 11th man Edit The day after Davis death the Raiders played the Houston Texans Oakland was leading the game 25 20 late in the fourth quarter On the final play of the game Raider free safety Michael Huff intercepted Texan quarterback Matt Schaub in the end zone to preserve the victory 80 The Raiders had only 10 defensive players on the field for the play 81 The play was referred to as the Divine Interception 81 with media speculating that Davis was the 11th player on the field in spirit 82 83 Raiders coach Hue Jackson said Al Davis had his hand on that ball 84 Jackson was highly emotional in victory as well as Davis s son Mark Davis Jackson said One thing coach Davis always taught me was he said Hue don t believe in plays Believe in players and eventually the players will make plays for you And that s what I did I could just hear him saying that to me the whole time Believe in your players and not the plays We know he s looking down on us right now Hue said This win is for him I appreciate everything he s done for this organization He s never gone in our eyes We ll never let him go He s with us 85 The Al Davis Memorial Torch EditAfter Davis death Mark Davis and the Raiders created the Al Davis Memorial Torch There are currently two such torches the original torch is a gas operated torch that was brought out on game days at the Oakland Coliseum and was lit by a former Raiders player or coach prior to each Raider home game That individual would then also sign the back or one of the side panels of the torch When the team relocated to Las Vegas in 2020 the torch from the Coliseum was moved to and placed in front of the team s new headquarters in Henderson Nevada with the player signed side and back panels being put on display at Allegiant Stadium where an 85 feet 26 m tall torch that rises above the main concourse was built 86 The Allegiant Stadium Al Davis Memorial Torch is the largest 3D printed object in the world 87 Accolades EditIn 2003 Davis was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame 88 See also EditHistory of the Oakland Raiders History of the Los Angeles RaidersNotes Edit The Gabriel and Brodie transactions were undone by the merger agreement Rappoport p 170 Tom Fears of the New Orleans Saints in 1967 was the first Latino head coach in the NFL Flores who started coaching in 1979 is listed in some sources as being the first 67 68 References Edit a b c NFL mourns passing of Raiders owner Al Davis SportingNews com Associated Press October 8 2011 Archived from the original on February 2 2013 Al Davis diversity legacy Of Silver amp Black and the full rainbow The Mercury News September 10 2020 Retrieved March 18 2022 Elman Jake February 2 2021 Late Raiders Owner Al Davis Fought Segregation Laws as Fiercely as He Did the NFL Sportscasting Pure Sports Retrieved March 18 2022 Hall of Famer Al Davis went the extra yard for social justice Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site pfhof Retrieved March 18 2022 Frank Vincent Al Davis Art Shell and 5 NFL Coaches Who Owe Most to Oakland Raiders Owner Bleacher Report Retrieved June 19 2022 Davenport Gary Al Davis Hiring Art Shell Paved the Way for Diversity in the NFL Bleacher Report Retrieved June 19 2022 RaiderusMax Amy Trask of the Oakland Raiders The Toughest and 1st Female CEO in the NFL Bleacher Report Retrieved June 19 2022 Oakland Raiders Owner Al Davis Dies Hired First Black and Latino Coaches in the NFL Rolling Out October 8 2011 Retrieved June 19 2022 Robertson Maddie The impact of one man on America and professional football the story of Al Davis Footballscoop Retrieved March 18 2022 Schalter Ty Al Davis Death Oakland Raiders Owner Championed Diversity in the NFL Bleacher Report Retrieved June 19 2022 Hall of Famer Al Davis went the extra yard for social justice Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site pfhof Retrieved June 19 2022 Ribowsky 1991 pp 15 24 Dickey p 3 Simmons pp 12 13 Ribowsky 1991 pp 27 31 Ribowsky 1991 pp 34 35 Ribowsky 1991 pp 11 13 Toppmeyer Blake How former Tennessee Vols lineman Jim Haslam came to play football for Al Davis on a military base Knoxnews com April 23 2019 Retrieved June 23 2021 Ribowsky 1991 pp 41 54 Richmond 2010 p 41 Simmons pp 14 15 a b Dickey p 4 Ribowsky 1991 pp 58 64 Ribowsky 1991 pp 65 76 Ribowsky 1991 pp 76 92 Dickey p 5 Simmons p 18 Ribowsky 1991 pp 95 97 Simmons pp 18 21 a b Simmons p 19 Simmons pp 37 38 a b Simmons pp 29 35 a b Richmond 2010 p 44 Ribowsky 1991 pp 110 111 Simmons pp 29 30 Simmons pp 23 29 Ribowsky 1991 pp 118 121 Ribowsky 1991 pp 121 123 Ribowsky 1991 pp 125 130 Ribowsky 1991 pp 130 134 Simmons pp 43 45 Rappoport pp 159 166 Foss quits 50 000 post as AFL czar Milwaukee Sentinel Associated Press April 8 1966 p 2 part 2 Appoint Davis as AFL czar Milwaukee Sentinel Associated Press April 9 1966 p 1 part 2 a b Dickey pp 38 39 Rappoport p 164 Rappoport pp 164 166 Ribowsky 1991 pp 165 177 Woodard new boss in AFL power shift Milwaukee Journal Associated Press July 26 1966 p 13 part 2 Art Modell interim president for NFL Miami News Associated Press May 27 1967 p 1B a b Sandomir Richard October 10 2011 A brash style and power plays allowed Davis to wrest control New York Times Retrieved April 25 2014 Young Eric November 19 2007 Davis sells minority stake in Raiders for 150M Mercury News San Diego Hotels Review www mercextra com Steve Kroner Raiders players coaches recall Al Davis loyalty San Francisco Chronicle October 9 2011 Al Davis Hall of Fame owner of Raiders dies at age 82 nfl com Retrieved March 16 2015 ESPN Films Latest 30 for 30 Documentary Al Davis vs The NFL to Premiere February 4 Press release ESPN January 15 2021 Retrieved October 7 2021 Miller 2003 p 119 Miller 2003 p 197 Millen Matt October 31 2011 Remembering Al Davis ESPN The Magazine a b Gay Nancy August 4 2003 Raiders Notebook Classy Allen has the last word on his day San Francisco Chronicle p D 7 Archived from the original on September 16 2011 Retrieved June 29 2017 a b Pro Football Raiders Allen Irked at Davis The New York Times December 15 1992 Archived from the original on October 14 2011 Gruden agrees to five year deal with Bucs ESPN February 18 2002 Archived from the original on September 24 2012 Martzke Rudy Gruden Bowl keeps fans glued to TVs USA Today January 27 2003 a b c Marvez Alex October 8 2011 Davis leaves Raiders on the right path FoxSports com Fox Sports Interactive Media Archived from the original on October 10 2011 Judy Battista Davis Lived Up to the Label of Maverick Till His Death New York Times October 8 2011 Farmer Sam October 9 2011 Al Davis dies at 82 Oakland Raiders owner transformed team Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on October 10 2011 History Latin Americans in Pro Football Pro Football Hall of Fame Archived from the original on October 14 2011 Branch John November 15 2008 For Alberto Riveron From Cuba to N F L s First Hispanic Referee The New York Times p SP1 Archived from the original on June 18 2013 McDonald Jerry August 12 2016 Al Davis death still resonates with Raiders one year later The Mercury News Retrieved November 21 2016 Raiders owner Al Davis dead at 82 ESPN Associated Press October 9 2011 Archived from the original on March 21 2012 Retrieved 6 June 2012 a b c Al Davis died of heart failure ESPN Associated Press October 28 2011 Archived from the original on December 30 2011 Retrieved 6 June 2012 Schulman Henry October 17 2011 Raiders fans pay respects to Al Davis at Oakland chapel San Francisco Chronicle Archived from the original on January 20 2012 Retrieved 6 June 2012 Sandomir Richard October 13 2011 For Grieving Madden a Death in the Family The New York Times Retrieved October 14 2011 Raiders honor Davis with helmet decals win over Texans National Football League Associated Press October 9 2011 Archived from the original on January 21 2012 Retrieved 6 June 2012 Reilly Rick October 14 2011 Commitment to honesty ESPN Archived from the original on April 18 2012 Retrieved 17 October 2011 Tafur Vittorio October 9 2011 Davis family will retain ownership of Raiders San Francisco Chronicle Archived from the original on March 28 2012 Retrieved 9 October 2011 Raiders owner admits L A stadium talks ESPN Associated Press January 10 2012 Archived from the original on June 30 2012 Retrieved January 11 2012 Carole Davis returns to fun travel and football Gadsden Times November 9 1980 Retrieved October 14 2011 Al Davis mother Rose dies at 103 Amarillo Globe News Associated Press October 23 2001 Archived from the original on June 16 2013 Retrieved October 14 2011 Wk 5 Can t Miss Play Emotional finish Archived from the original on October 12 2011 Retrieved October 12 2011 a b Final play Raiders had 10 on field Archived from the original on January 20 2013 Retrieved October 12 2011 Was Davis the 11th Raider on the field Retrieved October 12 2011 Raiders vs Texans NFL Scores Last Second Michael Huff Interception Seals Raiders 25 20 Win Retrieved October 12 2011 Samano Simon October 12 2011 Raiders knew they were a man down on final play vs Texans nfl com Retrieved October 13 2011 Raiders hold off Texans on emotional day after honoring Al Davis ESPN com Associated Press October 9 2011 Retrieved October 9 2011 Akers Mick September 6 2018 FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE RAIDERS FUTURE HOME lasvegasweekly com Retrieved August 4 2019 Akers Mick November 25 2019 The skeleton of the memorial torch at AllegiantStadm being constructed Will be 85 feet tall when complete and the largest 3 D printed object in the world according to Don Webb vegas raiders stadiumpic twitter com gcikVfIRnS mickakers Retrieved November 25 2019 Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Home scjewishsportshof com Bibliography EditDickey Glenn 1991 Just Win Baby Al Davis amp His Raiders New York Harcourt Brace Jovanovich ISBN 978 0 15 146580 4 Ribowsky Mark 1991 Slick The Silver and Black Life of Al Davis New York Macmillan Publishing Company ISBN 978 0 02 602500 3 Simmons Ira 1990 Black Knight Al Davis and His Raiders Rocklin California Prima Publishing ISBN 978 1 55958 055 7 Miller Jeff 2003 Going Long The Wild Ten Year Saga of the Renegade American Football League In the Words of Those Who Lived It McGraw Hill ISBN 0 07 141849 0 Olderman Murray 2012 Just Win Baby The Al Davis Story Illinois Triumph Books ISBN 978 1 60078 764 5 Davis Jeff 2008 Rozelle Czar of the NFL New York McGraw Hill ISBN 978 0 07 147166 4 Rappoport Ken 2010 The Little League that Could A History of the American Football League Lanham Maryland Taylor Trade Publishing ISBN 978 1 58979 463 4 Richmond Peter 2010 Badasses The Legend of Snake Foo Dr Death and John Madden s Oakland Raiders New York HarperCollins ISBN 978 0 06 183430 1 External links EditLas Vegas Raiders biography How the Influence of Al Davis Shaped the Modern NFL by Sports Illustrated Al Davis at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Al Davis at Find a Grave Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Al Davis amp oldid 1137656322, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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