On the Oakland Raiders website

I have never respected him as owner of the Raiders, but RIP.

Anyone know who takes over now?

I always shiverred in disgust at so many of his moves...but Al was true to himself always. He will be missed.

He died on the Oakland Raiders website? Wow! Talk about bleeding silver and black!

RIP Al.

AuNBearkeley;588987 said:

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On the Oakland Raiders website

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Respectfully.

I first saw Coach Davis when he was an assistant out of $USc. My first Raiders games were at Candlestick and then with Davis at Frank Youell Field (Laney College site) where he surpassed and beat the great Sid Gilman (SD) and put the Raiders over the top.

Al Davis changed the game in many ways. He brought Pete Rozelle and the NFL owners to the table and forged the new NFL (NFC/AFC). The rest is history.

Davis didn't change with the times. Quite frankly, he always did it his way and that's just the way it is.

Big Al goes back to nature to reorganize it his way. Rest in peace, Mr. Davis.

Old news

ruined my weekend. really wanted the raiders to win the SB or get to the playoffs one more time under Al. This is still his team though and hopefully we can still get there.

RIP

along with all the baggage, he changed football for the better in so many ways. One quick example, Davis and his coach in the 70's, John Madden, viewed possession of the ball at the end of the half as an opportunity. An opportunity to dominate, to change the momentum of a game and to dismantle the psyche of the opponent, by converting a high percentage in these situations. Playing it safe or doing the prudent thing by the numbers didn't interest him. This approach also made fourth quarter comebacks a routine occurrence. Much will be written of his legacy, positive and negative, over the next several days, but the fact remains that he had a huge positive impact on the sport he dedicated his life to overall.

" Just win Baby!"

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFL%E2%80%93NFL_merger

Quote:

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The unwritten agreement was shattered in early 1966 when the NFL's New York Giants signed Pete Gogolak, the first professional soccer-style placekicker, who was already under contract and playing with the AFL's Buffalo Bills. The breach of trust by the NFL resulted in retaliation by the rival league. When Oakland Raiders co-owner Al Davis took over as AFL Commissioner, he began stepping up the bidding war, immediately signing eight starting NFL quarterbacks, including John Brodie and Roman Gabriel, to contracts with AFL teams. Both leagues spent a combined $7 million signing their 1966 draft picks.

Contrary to common belief, it was not the AFL, but the NFL that initiated discussions for a merger between the two leagues, as it was fearful that Davis' "take no prisoners" tactics would seriously reduce its talent base. Schramm, now general manager of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, secretly contacted AFL owners and asked if they were interested in a merger. The talks were conducted without the knowledge of Davis, the AFL commissioner. By June 8, 1966, the collaborators announced a merger agreement. Under the agreement:

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Well, Thats one way to get him out of the org...

But more seriously, he sure was a guy who did what he wanted. There is a lot to say for that.

He was a one-man dictator at the Raiders without much of a 2nd-in-command.
Who's going to take charge now?

I believe that Al's son inherits the team, but Trask will run the team

LethalFang;589084 said:

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He was a one-man dictator at the Raiders without much of a 2nd-in-command.
Who's going to take charge now?

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General Manager Jeffery M. Tedford.

So how do you think the conversation would go between Al Davis and the guy in front of him at the pearly gates (Steve Jobs)?

God Speed

afroski;588988 said:

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I have never respected him as owner of the Raiders, but RIP.

Anyone know who takes over now?

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Not sure how old you are but I was of the age that the Raiders in the early 60's started to become dominant when I was about 6 yrs old. Say what you will about Al Davis but between about 1963-1985, they were the most winning team in ALL of sports, not just football. Better winning percentage than the most heralded teams in football, baseball, hockey or basketball.....but then time caught up with him... He also helped revolutionized the vertical passing game. I stopped following the Raiders who I loved when they moved to L.A., but you have to give him credit for a lot of success during their first 3 decades.

CALiforniALUM;589123 said:

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So how do you think the conversation would go between Al Davis and the guy in front of him at the pearly gates (Steve Jobs)?

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Pearly gates? You're assuming a lot.

You could not have a better friend or a worse enemy. He had one gear: All In

As the NY Times put it:

"Davis, one of the most important figures in N.F.L. history, was best known as a rebel, a man whose team's silver-and-black colors and pirate logo symbolized his attitude toward authority, both on the field and off."

You have to have a soft spot somehwhere in your heart for a guy who lived to JAM THE MAN!

He could purchase every team in the league simultaneously, but he's local, and Policy could run it day to day. I believe the shared facility, with the 9ers, approach is the only way to go. No municipality around here will foot the bill, but under the NFL's 3G program for stadium subsidies, the franchises pooled together could expect an amount between 300-350 million from the league towards building a new facility, so it's a no brainer

I swore I would never cheer for the Raiders again until Al Davis gave up control of the team. I didn't want him to die, but I can start cheering for them again, depending on who takes charge.

Oh, and keep the team in Oakland where it belongs. Stay out of LA.

Looperbear;589214 said:

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Pearly gates? You're assuming a lot.

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I'm assuming god is a football fan and watched games on his/her ipad.

GranadaHillsBear;589458 said:

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I swore I would never cheer for the Raiders again until Al Davis gave up control of the team. I didn't want him to die, but I can start cheering for them again, depending on who takes charge.

Oh, and keep the team in Oakland where it belongs. Stay out of LA.

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After that incident with the Giant fan at the Dodger game, you would have to have your head up your rear to bring the Raiders back into the calderan that L.A. has become. They need a new team with a family entertainment image.

CALiforniALUM;589123 said:

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So how do you think the conversation would go between Al Davis and the guy in front of him at the pearly gates (Steve Jobs)?

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Well Jobs was a Buddhist so...

-kap

CALiforniALUM;589123 said:

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So how do you think the conversation would go between Al Davis and the guy in front of him at the pearly gates (Steve Jobs)?

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