Carol Davis (American football)

Carol Davis (née Sagal;^[1] born January 16, 1930 or 1931)^[2] is an American businesswoman and sports franchise owner. She is part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). Davis is the widow of longtime Raiders' owner Al Davis, and inherited the team upon her husband's death on October 8, 2011.

Carol Davis
Born	Carol Sagal 1930 or 1931 (age 92–93) New York City, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Education	Degree in marketing
Alma mater	New York University
Occupation(s)	fashion buyer and sports franchise owner
Years active	1950's–present
Known for	co-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders
Spouse	Al Davis ​ ​ (m. 1954; died 2011)​
Children	Mark Davis

Al Davis suggested in 1997 that Carol would succeed him should he no longer be able to run the Raiders franchise.^[3] He repeated this in 2006,^[4] and when asked in 2007 who would succeed him, Al Davis again confirmed his intention that Carol would take his place, claiming that then general manager Ron Wolf was "very close to Carol."^[5]

Personal life

Davis grew up in New York City, and graduated from New York University with a marketing degree. She worked as a buyer, selecting designer clothing for retail stores, before her husband joined the Raiders.^[6] Carol and Al Davis married in a Brooklyn synagogue in 1954 after Al's discharge from the U.S. Army; the couple established a first home in Atlantic Beach, near Al Davis's parents.

In late 1979, Davis suffered a serious heart attack which placed her in the hospital and in a coma for three weeks, but later recovered completely.^[7][8]

Davis has one son, Mark (born 1955).^[9] After her husband's death in October 2011, Raiders chief executive Amy Trask said that the team "will remain in the Davis family."^[10] Carol and Mark hold controlling interest in the Raiders. However, Carol mostly leaves the Raiders in the hands of Mark, who took over his father's old post of managing general partner and operating head of the franchise.^[11] Davis still attends some games and was present for the groundbreaking of Allegiant Stadium in 2017.^[12] On September 21, 2020, Davis lit the Al Davis memorial torch prior to the Raiders first ever game at Allegiant Stadium.^[13] In 2021, she presented Tom Flores for induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.^[14]

References

1. Ribowsky, Mark (1991). Slick: The Silver and Black Life of Al Davis. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. p. 57. ISBN 0-02-602500-0. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
2. "Carol Davis lights Al Davis Torch as Raiders open Las Vegas stadium". 21 September 2020.
3. Jenkins, Jim (April 16, 1997). "Heir to Al's throne?". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved May 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
4. White, David (August 2, 2006). "Raiders owner Al Davis, 77, talks about his hopes for 2006 and hints at his succession plan". SFGate.com. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
5. Pompei, Dan (November 11, 2007). "Raiders' succession plan a mystery". Chicago Tribune.
6. Mitchell, Bev (January 23, 1964). "Woman at Home". Oakland Tribune. Retrieved May 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Carole Davis returns to fun, travel and football". Gadsden Times. November 9, 1980. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
8. Newhouse, Dave (January 31, 2009). "Carol Davis is one tough Raider, too". EastBayTimes.com. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
9. "Good guys wear black".
10. Tafur, Vittorio (October 9, 2011). "Davis family will retain ownership of Raiders". The San Francisco Chronicle. p. B-9. from the original on October 11, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
11. Raiders owner admits L.A. stadium talks. ESPN.com. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
12. . press.lvcva.com. Archived from the original on 2021-10-27. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
13. "Carol Davis lights Al Davis Torch as Raiders open Las Vegas stadium". ESPN.com. 2020-09-22. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
14. Galaviz, Anthony. "Former Raiders coach Tom Flores' Pro Football Hall of Fame presenter is a nod to Al Davis". The Fresno Bee. from the original on 2021-08-14.