On October 8, 2011, Al Davis, the general manager of the Oakland Raiders, passed away at the age of 82, leaving behind not only a family that loved him, but an entire organization and city that adored him. Al Davis had a tremendous effect not only on the Raiders, but on the entire NFL as we know it today.
As a young man, Davis graduated from Syracuse University and immediately began working in the football business. With experience coaching the former L.A. Chargers, the Raiders organization hired him as the head coach at the age of 33. He began his involvement with the Oakland Raiders in the year 1963, transforming the team from one of losers to one of winners. In his first year, he led them to a 10-4-1 record, their first winning season. He was then named Pro Football Coach of the Year.
In 1966, Al Davis was appointed Commissioner of the American Football League. He held that position when the AFL and NFL (National Football League) merged together, creating one league with one common championship game: the Super Bowl. After resigning from that position, he returned to the Raiders in Oakland.
As general manager, he witnessed the Raiders attend five Super Bowls: II, XI, XV, XVIII, and XXXVII. The Oakland Raiders won XI against the Vikings and XV against the Eagles, while the LA Raiders won XVIII against the Redskins. Davis was also part of the move to Los Angeles, where they stayed for thirteen years until returning back to Oakland. He also hired the first Latino coach Tom Flores, the first African-American coach Art Shell, and the first female CEO Amy Trask. His most famous coach would be John Madden who lead them to the Super Bowl XI victory and whom the football video game is named after. Davis was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992 with 18 other Raiders to this day. By implementing motto’s such as “Commitment to Excellence” and “Just win, baby!” Al Davis molded his team into one that the rest of the league respected, but most importantly, one that they feared.
Despite the seasons following the Raiders’ loss at Super Bowl XXXVII in 2003, Al Davis remained as committed to his team as much as the diehards of Raider Nation. While people began to question his judgment in the draft picks during his later years, all of the fans still had a place in their hearts for him. After all, Davis transformed the sport of football more than any other person. At the next game following his death against the Texans, a minute of silence was given in his honor, along with his name “Al” in the usual Raider shield emblem on the back of his players’ helmets. After Oakland beat Houston as well as the Cleveland Browns this past weekend, the players, coaches, and all of Raider Nation hope to do one more thing to honor this man’s legacy: just win, baby!