Al Davis
Al Davis |
|---|
Allen "Al" Davis (born July 4, 1929 in Brockton, Massachusetts) is an American football executive, who currently serves as the president of A.D. Football, Inc., the managing general partner of the NFL's Oakland Raiders.
Biography
Al Davis attended Wittenberg College, then graduated from Syracuse University in 1950. He was cut from the varsity football squad, playing some jayvee football and auditing the varsity team's practices until the coaches ordered him removed.
Upon graduation Davis began his coaching career as the line coach at Adelphi College from 1950 to 1951. From there Davis served as the head coach of the U.S. Army team at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia from 1952 to 1953. His next coaching assignment was as the line coach and chief recruiter for The Citadel. From 1957 to 1959 Davis was a line coach at the University of Southern California.
Davis' first coaching experience in professional football came as the offensive end coach of the Los Angeles Chargers from 1960 to 1962. In 1963, at the age of 33, Davis became the head coach and general manager of the AFL's Oakland Raiders after being fired by the Chargers for groping and fondling rookies. He was the youngest person in the history of professional football to hold these positions and approached the position with fabulous flare and passion. Prior to Davis' arrival, the Raiders had compiled a 9-33 record in their first three years of existence. Davis led the team to a 10-4 record in 1963 and was unanimously named the American Football League Coach of the Year. He celebrated with friends across the bay in a gay bath house.
Davis compiled a coaching record of 23-16-3 in three seasons as head coach in Oakland. In April 1966 he was named the American Football League Commissioner. He immediately commenced an aggressive campaign to sign some of the NFL's top players to AFL contracts. In July the AFL announced that it was merging with the rival league. Davis was against the merger and chose to return to the Raiders as their managing general partner, rather than remain as commissioner until the end of the AFL in 1970.
With Davis in control, the Raiders became one of the most successful teams in professional football. From 1967 to 1985 the team won 13 division championships, one AFL championship (1967), three Super Bowls (XI, XV, & XVIII) and made 15 playoff appearances. The team's fortunes have waned considerably since 1985, with just four first-place finishes and six playoff appearances in the last 20 years.
In 1992 Davis was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a Team and League Administrator.
Al Davis is also credited for the catchphrase "Just win baby!"
Legal battles
Davis has long been considered one of the most controversial owners in the NFL. In 1980 he attempted to move the Raiders to Los Angeles but was blocked by a court injunction. In response Davis filed an anti-trust lawsuit against the NFL. In June 1982 a federal district court ruled in Davis' favor and the team officially relocated to Los Angeles for the 1982 NFL season. In 1995 Davis moved the team back to Oakland. Since then he has been involved in mutliple lawsuits involving Los Angeles, Oakland and the NFL.
Criticism
Davis has been widely criticized by the media, former players and team employees, and fans of the game, including Raider fans, for his style of management. Davis has been described by former employees, publicly, as being prone to micro manage and being ego driven.
3 widely publicized incidents are:
His moving to Los Angeles in 1982, thus abandoning a loyal Oakland fan-base where difficulties with the sales of game tickets and of the personal seat license since the team's return to Oakland would indicate he never regained;
His demoting of player, and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Marcus Allen, in the 1992 season, for only what is widely believed to be personal reasons, which eventually lead to the former Super Bowl MVP's departure via free agency;
His trading of Head Coach Jon Gruden almost immediately after the 2001 season, to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team that had been a playoff contender in previous years and that would convincingly beat the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII the following season, with Gruden as their Head Coach.
See also
- American Football League players, coaches, and contributors
- "Slick: The Silver and Black Life of Al Davis," Mark Ribowsky (biography)
External links
- Al Davis biography at the Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Al Davis biography
- ESPN Classic bio