Although other owners and league executives branded Davis a renegade, friends and former players found him the epitome of loyalty. When his wife was stricken with a heart attack in the s, he moved into her hospital room and lived there for more than a month. And when he heard that even a distant acquaintance was ill, he would offer medical help without worrying about expense.
I don't know why they can't. A few years earlier, he said: "I can control most things, but I don't seem to be able to control death. Skip to main content Skip to navigation. Longtime Raiders owner Davis dies at age Oakland Raiders.
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The fire that burns brightest in the Raider organization, "The Will to Win," will continue to blaze through the legacy of the great Al Davis. Davis was one of the most important figures in NFL history. That was most evident during the s when he fought in court, and won, for the right to move his team from Oakland to Los Angeles. Until the decline of the Raiders into a perennial loser in the first decade of the 21st century he was a winner, the man who as a coach, then owner-general manager-de facto coach, established what he called "the team of the decades" based on another slogan: "commitment to excellence.
And the Raiders were excellent, winning three Super Bowls during the s and s and contending almost every season, an organization filled with castoffs and troublemakers who turned into trouble for opponents. Davis, elected in to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, also was a trailblazer.
He hired the first black head coach of the modern era, Art Shell in He hired the first Latino coach, Tom Flores, and the first female chief executive officer, Amy Trask. Born in Brockton, Mass. Davis was perhaps the second most famous after Barbra Streisand. Only three years later, he was hired by the Raiders and became the youngest general manager-head coach in pro football history with a team he called "the Raid-uhs" in Then he bought into the failing franchise, which played on a high school field adjacent to the Nimitz Freeway in Oakland and became managing general partner, a position he held until his death.
He ran everything, often calling down with plays, or sending emissaries to the sidelines to make substitutions. But even before that, he had started breaking an unwritten truce between the young league and its established rivals, which fought over draft choices but did not go after established players. Two months later, Davis announced he had signed a year deal with five successive three-year renewal options to play at the L.
The Raiders played their first game in Los Angeles in August and the following season won their third Super Bowl. Tens of millions of viewers watched as Rozelle and Davis — bitter adversaries in the courtroom — shook hands in the locker room after the game. They included defensive end Lyle Alzado, who admitted to having used human-growth hormone and later died of cancer; defensive back Stacey Toran, who had a high blood-alcohol level when he was killed in a car crash; and defensive end John Matuszak, who died of an overdose of Darvocet, a prescription painkiller.
When he became aware of the problems, Davis took steps to deal with the problem, including assigning an assistant coach to monitor off-field activity. The stadium had history, dating to the Olympics, but it lacked luxury boxes, and the team seldom filled the 92,seat venue. The deal ultimately collapsed and the Raiders kept the money. However, the Raiders balked when the league stipulated that they would have to temporarily share the stadium with another NFL franchise in exchange for the right to host two future Super Bowls.
The NFL said the Raiders abandoned Los Angeles simply because they thought they had found a better deal in Oakland; Davis claimed the league forced him to retreat to Northern California by interfering with his attempt to secure a modern stadium with luxury boxes and other amenities. A state appeals court also ruled in that the Raiders were obligated to share with the league revenue gained from their lease in Oakland. The Raiders also battled with their new landlords in Northern California, suing the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum over promises that they said went unfulfilled after the team returned in The resurgence was short-lived; the young coach bolted for Tampa Bay and his new team clobbered the Raiders, , in the Super Bowl following the season.
Over the nine years that followed, the Raiders hired six head coaches. From to , the Raiders became the first team in NFL history to lose at least 11 games in seven consecutive seasons. Davis became more reclusive as the seasons passed, seldom speaking with reporters.
In January, he broke nearly 18 months of public silence while introducing his latest coach, Hue Jackson. I certainly do. He remained intimately involved with the team, traditionally spending a couple of days a week at practice and pulling aside players to give them tips. His job, his profession, his free time, everything was football.
Davis had more than a few personality quirks. He seldom made a public appearance wearing anything other than a black or white Raiders sweatsuit. And, if his team lost in a particular city, he would switch hotels for the next visit.
He also had an almost eerie ability to predict what was going to happen on the field. Davis often watched away games from the press box alongside close friends and an ever-present bodyguard.
When angered by a mistake on the field, he would slam his hand on the table and hiss whispered curses. He is a true legend of the game whose impact and legacy will forever be part of the NFL. Raiders CEO Amy Trask issued the following statement: "During this indescribably difficult time, let us all reflect upon what it means to be a Raider -- let us all reflect upon how privileged we are to be Raiders -- and let us all be Raiders.
Davis also was a litigious gadfly. That was most evident during the s, when he went to court -- and won -- for the right to move his team from Oakland to Los Angeles. Before that, though, Davis was a pivotal figure in hastening the merger between the AFL -- where he served as commissioner -- and the more established NFL. Davis initially wasn't in favor of a merger, but his aggressive pursuit of NFL players for his fledgling league and team helped bring about the eventual combination of the two leagues into what is now the most popular sport in the country.
I had a lot of respect for him, and he will be missed throughout the entire NFL. Not in the way he dressed -- usually satin running suits, one white, one black, and the occasional black suit, black shirt and silver tie. Not in the way he wore his hair -- slicked back with a '50s duck-tail. Not in the way he talked -- Brooklynese with Southern inflection.
Not in the way he did business -- on his own terms, always on his own terms. Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in , Davis was a trailblazer during his half-century in professional football. He hired the first African American head coach of the modern era -- Art Shell in And he was infallibly loyal to his players and officials: to be a Raider was to be a Raider for life.
You never expected that from him, because he was so tough," said Hall of Fame cornerback Willie Brown, a former Raider.
He's meant a lot to this organization, because he's the leader. It's hard to replace a great leader and a legend like Al Davis. First-year Raiders coach Hue Jackson delivered the news to his team with an emotional address during a Saturday morning meeting. We understand what he meant to this organization.
He loved his players, and that didn't matter if you were here now, or if you played for him 30 years ago. He still loved all his players. Davis is survived by his wife, Carol, and son, Mark, who Davis had said would run the team after his death.
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