Raiders owner Al Davis passes away at age 82

[ProudestRyno]

Not to sound completely distasteful but I find it hilarious how everyone is talking about how great he was. For YEARS lately, all people have done is ridicule him and talk about how once he's gone, the Raiders will be able to draft better, make better financial decisions, etc. Now that he IS gone, people are going back on what they said. Are people afraid to say what they really think because it may seem distasteful? If so, that's pathetic.

Al Davis had a huge impact on the game. Some good, some AWFUL. In my opinion the Raiders will become a stronger team without him...

With that being said, RIP Al Davis

 

[TrueBeliever]

Not to sound completely distasteful but I find it hilarious how everyone is talking about how great he was. For YEARS lately, all people have done is ridicule him and talk about how once he's gone, the Raiders will be able to draft better, make better financial decisions, etc. Now that he IS gone, people are going back on what they said. Are people afraid to say what they really think because it may seem distasteful? If so, that's pathetic.

Al Davis had a huge impact on the game. Some good, some AWFUL. In my opinion the Raiders will become a stronger team without him...

With that being said, RIP Al Davis

Same thing happened when Richard Nixon died. Personally, I am very sensitive about disrespecting the dead, and try to remember the good things about them after they are gone. But even I'll admit that it doesn't change the fact that he was one of the worst owners in the league over the last 20 years or so.

 

[BritPat]

Desperately sad news. A lot of people have had fun at the expense of Al, including me, but I also had the absolute greatest respect for a guy who devoted his entire life to football, and who fought everyday for what he believed and the Franchise he ran.

Call him old fashioned, stuck in the past, whatever you want, but he believed football should be played one way, with flair, physicality and utter commitment. He was a leader and a visionary - people must not forget we have him to partially thank for helping to create the league we see today. He was a major driving force in the merger of the AFL and the NFL. He was also the first owner to hire a Hispanic coach, the first owner to hire a black coach, the first owner to draft a black Quarterback in the first round, and he also employed the highest ranking woman in the NFL when he promoted Amy Trask to Chief Executive.

Unorthodox and forthright, he said and did what he thought would aid his goals best, and for that we should always respect the way Al went about things. The Raiders had their troughs and peaks under his ownership, but sustained one remarkable record - the only Franchise in NFL history to reach a Superbowl in all four decades of the NFL so far.

The sport will be a much poorer and duller place without him. Just win baby. RIP Al.

 

[Ron Sellers]

Re: OT: Al Davis has passed away!

WTF happens to the Raiders now? Unlike other "family" owned teams, with Al you never heard of him having his kids or anyone else involved in the management at all. I mean heck, look at Bob and Jonathan here. If Bob has a heart attack, Jonathan can keep running the business side while BB runs the football side.

In Oakland, is there anyone left to run anything? My impression was Al was the boss of everything.

I thought I remembered reading somewhere that he had a son that was very involved with the team the last few years. They also have a woman (I forget her name) that has been the CEO for several years now. However, I would think that they will need to find somebody to take over as the GM, or similar title/responsibilities fairly soon.

 

[demerit]

Desperately sad news. A lot of people have had fun at the expense of Al, including me, but I also had the absolute greatest respect for a guy who devoted his entire life to football, and who fought everyday for what he believed and the Franchise he ran.

Call him old fashioned, stuck in the past, whatever you want, but he believed football should be played one way, with flair, physicality and utter commitment. He was a leader and a visionary - people must not forget we have him to partially thank for helping to create the league we see today. He was a major driving force in the merger of the AFL and the NFL. He was also the first owner to hire a Hispanic coach, the first owner to hire a black coach, the first owner to draft a black Quarterback in the first round, and he also employed the highest ranking woman in the NFL when he promoted Amy Trask to Chief Executive.

Unorthodox and forthright, he said and did what he thought would aid his goals best, and for that we should always respect the way Al went about things. The Raiders had their troughs and peaks under his ownership, but sustained one remarkable record - the only Franchise in NFL history to reach a Superbowl in all four decades of the NFL so far.

The sport will be a much poorer and duller place without him. Just win baby. RIP Al.

I don't recall the Raiders making it to a Superbowl in the 90's.

 

[Ron Sellers]

I don't recall the Raiders making it to a Superbowl in the 90's.

Perhaps he meant in four decades; the Raiders made it to the SB in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 2000s.

They haven't made it every decade, and there have been five - actually six at this point - not four decades in which the Super Bowl has been played; however I'm pretty sure that's more than any other team.

 

[BritPat]

It was worded wrongly, it should have been in four decades. I realised as soon as I posted it, but didn't want to edit it.

If that's all you've taken out of that post by the way, then that's a shame.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

...

the man who was MOST responsible for the merger of the AFL and the NFL in the mid sixties

You're wrong on the facts, there.

Al Davis was no doubt as responsible as anyone for helping build the AFL into a powerhouse that ultimately led to the NFL deciding that it was in its interests to merge therewith, but both Davis and Pete Rozelle (then commissioner of the NFL) were left out of the talks that ultimately brought the leagues together. Hank Schramm and Lamar Hunt actually carried the water for the AFL and went around the backs of both Commissioners and negotiated directly with NFL owners. Ironically, they did this because they felt that Davis would drive too hard a bargain and push the NFL from the table.

Davis apologists argue that the AFL would have gotten a better deal if he had been allowed a seat at the table; others feel that the merger would have been delayed for several more years. But, we'll never know as the merger was brought to him as a fait accompli.

There are several great books that go into detail on this, most notably, "The American Football League, a Year by Year History," by Ed Gruver.

 

[YearbookCurfew]

RIP Al Davis

 

[italian pat patriot]

I always had respect for those who gave everything in the old AFL and Mr Davis was one of them for sure

football loose one of the most historic persons

riposa in pace Mr Davis

 

[Patspsycho]

FWIW, of the three away games we had, Raiders were the only team to have a moment of silence for Myra Kraft prior to the game.

 

[FredFromDartmouth]

My impression was that there were some unsavory aspects to the way he gained control of the Raiders...I don't think he was exactly a gentleman or nice person....

 

[shmessy]

Not to sound completely distasteful but I find it hilarious how everyone is talking about how great he was. For YEARS lately, all people have done is ridicule him and talk about how once he's gone, the Raiders will be able to draft better, make better financial decisions, etc. Now that he IS gone, people are going back on what they said. Are people afraid to say what they really think because it may seem distasteful? If so, that's pathetic.

Al Davis had a huge impact on the game. Some good, some AWFUL. In my opinion the Raiders will become a stronger team without him...

With that being said, RIP Al Davis

100% WRONG.

People here have been very consistent in praising him for his first 30 years and ridiculing him for his last 20.

Evidently, you didn't understand that.

Like any human being there is some good and some bad. He did build the AFL. He did hire more minorities at a time they were not invited by some of the NFL. However, even when he was successful, there were many unsavory aspects to his franchise, and yes, he DID love to litigate.

 

[Urgent]

He built quite a life in football, and was one of the surviving leaders from the early days of the NFL. He was one of the guys you hoped never left the game, and never really expected to see him go.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Desperately sad news. A lot of people have had fun at the expense of Al, including me, but I also had the absolute greatest respect for a guy who devoted his entire life to football, and who fought everyday for what he believed and the Franchise he ran.

Call him old fashioned, stuck in the past, whatever you want, but he believed football should be played one way, with flair, physicality and utter commitment. He was a leader and a visionary - people must not forget we have him to partially thank for helping to create the league we see today. He was a major driving force in the merger of the AFL and the NFL. He was also the first owner to hire a Hispanic coach, the first owner to hire a black coach, the first owner to draft a black Quarterback in the first round, and he also employed the highest ranking woman in the NFL when he promoted Amy Trask to Chief Executive.

Unorthodox and forthright, he said and did what he thought would aid his goals best, and for that we should always respect the way Al went about things. The Raiders had their troughs and peaks under his ownership, but sustained one remarkable record - the only Franchise in NFL history to reach a Superbowl in all four decades of the NFL so far.

The sport will be a much poorer and duller place without him. Just win baby. RIP Al.

I agree with the sentiments you express, especially his openness and courage in leading the way in hiring diversity, but would put a couple of things a little differently.

Davis was a major driving force (along with Hank Schramm and Lamar Hunt) behind building the AFL to where the NFL effectively had no choice but to merge with it, but the merger itself occurred without his involvement, as I've pointed out in a couple of other posts; that's well-documented and Davis was never happy about it.

Also, I don't have the Raiders in the SB in the 90's; there was a 20 year gap between their appearances in SB XVIII and SB XXXVII.

A more accurate statement, IMO, would be that his teams were dominant in their Division throughout most of the 1970's and into the 1980's.

However, people tend to forget that, for all of his strong teams and Divisional Championships, and despite his seven AFCCG appearances between 1969 and 1977, John Madden only broke through to get to one SB, which he won. Of course, he had the misfortune of having to go up against some very strong Dolphins and Steelers teams at that time, but only came out on top once.

 

[Bonzo]

FWIW, of the three away games we had, Raiders were the only team to have a moment of silence for Myra Kraft prior to the game.

Wow, I didn't catch that!

 

[convertedpatsfan]

Not to sound completely distasteful but I find it hilarious how everyone is talking about how great he was. For YEARS lately, all people have done is ridicule him and talk about how once he's gone, the Raiders will be able to draft better, make better financial decisions, etc. Now that he IS gone, people are going back on what they said. Are people afraid to say what they really think because it may seem distasteful? If so, that's pathetic.

Al Davis had a huge impact on the game. Some good, some AWFUL. In my opinion the Raiders will become a stronger team without him...

With that being said, RIP Al Davis

There's no doubt Davis had some dubious decisions recently, and I'm guilty of making fun of many of them.

But we're talking about a football lifer who spent decades building up that franchise. He won an AFL coach of the year award in the 60s. As owner/GM, his team had an amazing run from 1967 to 1985, going to the play-offs 15 times, winning the division 13 times, an AFL championship and 3 Super Bowls. The Raiders are also one of two teams that have played in a Super Bowl in 4 different decades.

Recent history hasn't been kind, and huge busts like Jamarcus Russell and Heyward-Bey had us convinced the guy had lost his mind. A huge bust like Russell can overshadow a lot of other things, but when you look closer, you see that he actually did quite well, especially during a period where most people struggled in the draft.

Most had Russell at the top of the draft in 2007 as well, but the rest of that Raiders draft turned out quite well. Zach Miller was a very good pick. Henderson, Higgins, and Richardson were solid contributors, while two other picks by the team went elsewhere and have played 40+ games (Moses and Frampton).

In 2008, without a 2nd or 3rd rounder, they ended up with McFadden and Tyvon Branch, along with Trevor Scott and Chaz Schillens. 4 out of 5 picks ended up contributing, despite 4 of those picks being 4th round or later.

In 2009, they reached for Heyward-Bey and perhaps Mitchell, but 2009 is turning out to be a really poor draft overall for almost everyone except for Green Bay it seems.

In 2010, McClain, Houston, Veldheer, Ford, and Brown have all been major contributors. And from 2011, Wisniewski and Moore have been huge contributors already.

So yes, he made some big busts. But the track record even over the past 5 years is pretty solid overall.

The Seymour trade seemed crazy at the time, but as it turns out, it was a win/win, or some may even give that to Al. Yeah, we got a productive Moss for a 4th, but that was no sure thing, as Minnesota and Tennessee found out.

His crazy contract for Lechler was pretty much indefensible, as was the Asomugha deal, but his recent track record, even as a senile crazy old man is still just as good, if not better than half the GMs in this league.

 

[Pujo]

Now that he IS gone, people are going back on what they said. Are people afraid to say what they really think because it may seem distasteful? If so, that's pathetic.

I think it's pretty typical, and respectful, to try to remember someone's positive traits in the days following their passing. No one's a saint and anyone can justifiably say something negative about anyone else, but somehow our society actually has enough decency to wait a few days. Though if not for that, my grandfather's eulogy would have been a lot more interesting.

 

[patriotscpfc]

Re: OT: Al Davis has passed away!

RIP Al.

Classy man in many ways outside of football. The silence for Myra Kraft summed that up.

 

[shmessy]

BTW, born in Brockton.