The Raiduh

“I had a dream of building the finest organization in professional sports.” That’s a pretty big dream. But then again, Al Davis was a big name in football, larger than life for almost fifty years. The man, born on the 4^th of July, has almost done it all in professional football. He was an assistant coach, head coach, general manager, owner, even commissioner. But that’s not telling the whole story. Davis’ road to the top and back down the other side has been like a sailboat that needs a storm, or at least some choppy waters, to get anywhere. He fought with former NFL Commissioners Pete Rozelle and Paul Tagliabue, fought with the owners, fought with anyone who wasn’t a Raider, and even fought with fan favorite Marcus Allen. He built a team up to a near dynasty. Then, when he moved their games to Los Angeles, he still had them practicing in Oakland. Twelve years later the games were moved back to Oakland. I guess in a way, everything he did was contrary to anyone’s belief. And that’s how he liked it. He got enjoyment out of defying everyone. That defying has cost his team much success in recent times. In seven straight years the Raiders recorded double digit losses in a season. Much of that was due to the ideas of Davis. He still believed in stretching the field and drafting speed above all else. He would get rid of a head coach when that coach wanted more control than Davis was willing to relinquish. The game, perhaps, had passed him by.

However, when he took over as head coach on the Raiders in 1963, he led one of the greatest turnarounds in history, posting a 10-4 record just a year after going 1-13. Three years later, at age 36, he was named Commissioner of the AFL. But it wasn’t long before he was bleeding Silver and Black again. He became GM of the Oakland Raiders a year later. In 1970, he was their owner. Al Davis was the face of the franchise that exemplified toughness. In his own words, they weren’t looking to move the chains, they were looking for touchdowns on every play. On defense, he would say “The other team’s quarterback must go down and he must go down hard.” It’s probably not far off to say that he was the first man to use the “Us against the world” attitude. He was a maverick, a renegade, and almost required his coaches and players to take pride in that approach. He hired the first Hispanic head coach in NFL history and also the first African American coach in history. He signed players other teams didn’t want and gave them a so-called second career. Players like George Blanda, Jim Plunkett, Lyle Alzado, Rich Gannon and Jerry Rice, who were cast off by their former teams, were welcomed with open arms. His players didn’t always like him, but they loved him. Loved him so much that Davis was asked by nine different men to present them in to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In the end Al Davis belongs on the Mount Rushmore of owners of our generation, right next to the likes of George Steinbrenner, Jerry Buss, and the Rooney Family. Although he never played professional football, his career represents most careers of the athletes. He paid his dues, reached and achieved his goals with flamboyancy and flair, but hung on a little too long instead of riding off into the sunset when he should have. That’s the life of a competitor. That’s the life of a man who had a “Commitment to Excellence.” That’s the life of a man who oversaw three Super Bowl wins in eight seasons. After the 3^rd one, his interview with Brent Musburger went like this:

Brent: Al let me ask you something. With all the distractions you have off the field, how are you able to keep focused on winning football games as you do throughout the years?

Al:  Well you have great coaches. Then after you have great coaches you get great players. You have a great organization and you tell them one thing, “Just Win Baby!”