Al Davis is the greatest sports franchise owner of all time. Davis is the man who is synonymous with the Oakland Raiders franchise of the National Football League and its earlier American Football League incarnation. The Raiders, now in Las Vegas, recently opened the doors on their new facility for the first time. When they did so, it revealed a massive torch, built to memorialize the late Davis.
He was the owner and general manager of the Oakland Raiders for 39 years, from 1972 until his death in 2011. Known for his motto “Just win, baby”, the Raiders became one of the NFL’s most successful and popular teams under Davis’ management. They were a contending team for many years. Although the franchise would enter a period of decline in his final years.
He was born on the Fourth of July in 1929, into a Jewish family in Brockton, Massachusetts. Davis was raised in Brooklyn and educated at the borough’s Erasmus High School. He went on and played football at Syracuse University, but was eventually cut from the varsity team. After graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in English from Syracuse in 1950, he began his football career as a line coach at Adelphi College from 1950 to 1951.
Davis gets his first head coaching job
Al became the head coach of the U.S. Army team at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia from 1952 to 1953, then served as line coach at The Citadel. In 1957, he moved on to the University of Southern California, where he served as line coach for two years.
With the placing of an American Football League franchise in Los Angeles, Davis was able to move into pro ball. He served as the offensive end coach of the AFL’s Los Angeles Chargers from 1960 to 1962, and then was named head coach and general manager of the AFL’s struggling Oakland Raiders at the age of 33. Davis took a team that was 9-33 in their first three years of its existence and whipped them into shape in one season.
Named Coach of the Year in his first season
In 1963, his first year as a pro head coach, he was voted the AFL Coach of the Year after his Raiders went 10-4. His success in his four season as head coach led to him being named AFL Commissioner in April 1966. His reign was short-lived.
Although the AFL had always contended with the NFL in the signing of college players and Canadian Football League Players, Davis launched an aggressive campaign to recruit top NFL’s top players, driving up the salaries of football players in both leagues.
All lit up. 🕶️ pic.twitter.com/wxS8n8E1c0
— Allegiant Stadium (@AllegiantStadm) May 22, 2020
Due to the rising costs of salaries, AFL owners met with NFL owners and agreed to a merger after the 1970 season. Davis opposed the merger and subsequently quit as AFL Commissioner, returning to Oakland as managing general partner of the Raiders. With that move, the greatest days of Al Davis career were about to get underway.
Dominant for an entire generation: the Oakland Raiders
For a generation, the Oakland Raiders became one of the top teams in pro football, winning 13 divisional championships, one AFL title (1967), and three Super Bowls from 1967 through 1985.
The Raiders of 1985 are regarded as one of the most famous, and storied franchises in all of American sports. The team today is still likened with the Yankees, Red Sox, Lakers, Celtics, and Canadiens.
The new monument to Davis in Las Vegas, Nevada, stands 85-feet tall and towers over the north end zone. It is the focal point of the $2 billion stadium. The team had a torch in the Oakland Coliseum for Davis, which was microscopic relative to the new one.
The Al Davis torch stands tall as the lanai doors are opened for the first time in months at the @Raiders Allegiant Stadium. #vegas #raiders #stadium pic.twitter.com/mpvDD1CWiA
— Mick Akers (@mickakers) June 3, 2020
Davis will be most fondly remembered as a pioneer for civil rights in the sports world. He refused to allow the Raiders to play in any city where black and white players had to stay in separate hotels. When pro football was still dominated by racist owners hostile to African Americans, he was making a difference.
Davis will be remembered as a pioneer for civil rights
He was the first NFL owner to hire an African American head coach and a female chief executive (Amy Trask). He was also the second NFL owner to hire a Latino head coach (Tom Flores). Davis scouted and drafted African American players from the traditionally black colleges ignored by the NFL.
He remains the only executive in NFL history to be an assistant coach, head coach, general manager, commissioner, and owner. It’s easy to find reasons to disagree with my selection. Many people will. But Davis was a winner and a leader. On and off the field.
The Raiders were a dominating force during the 1970s and 1980s, and won three Super Bowl titles. Davis was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a Team and League Administrator in 1992.
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