Post by TheShadow on Apr 6, 2008 10:43:17 GMT -5
mvn.com
A lesson in NFL and Oakland Raider History: Thoughts from a Reader’s Side
By Patrick Patterson
Al Davis is one of the most controversial figures in NFL History. He is loved and reviled. He is the outsider and the maverick. He is the owner of the Oakland Raiders who took on the NFL establishment and won. Thoughts from the Dark Side reader OakFoSho takes his turn in this installment of Thoughts from a Reader’s Side to talk about the greatness of Al Davis.
The Greatness of Al Davis: A lesson in pro football history.
by OakFoSho
Special to Thoughts from the Dark Side
Disclaimer: This is going to be a dusy, so prepare yourself for an extensive crash course in the Greatness of Al Davis!
Following the 2003 Super Bowl, the Oakland Raiders have fallen of hard times. The last five seasons, in total, have amounted to the worst stretch in Franchise history. Most NFL franchises, especially in the AFC West, have had terrible stretches in their history, but it’s the Raiders that take the most heat. Patrick points out in his most recent post that the Raiders are the Big Bad Guys that every loves to kick while they’re down. One person takes the brunt of the venom spit by the rest of the league, the media, and opposing fans. That person is Al Davis.
For the uneducated NFL fan, these snakes would have you believe that Al is senile, and of no relevance in today’s NFL. They call him names, and attempt to drag his legacy through the mud. These haters wear blinders, blinders that only allow them to see the last five seasons, while remaining blind to the remainder of Al’s great legacy and contribution to professional football both past and present. Well, this is nothing that a division title in 2008 won’t fix, but in the mean time let’s take a look at this great man’s history and his importance to the NFL.
Davis’ first coaching experience in professional football came as the offensive end coach of the Los Angeles Chargers from 1960 to 1962. Known then and now for his slicked-back hair, Brooklyn-tinged speech, dark glasses and ferocious competitiveness, Davis became the head coach and general manager of the AFL’s Oakland Raiders in 1963. At age 33, he was the youngest person in the history of professional football to hold these positions. 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. This was the beginning of an historic professional career for a man that would become the greatest most influential owner in professional football history.
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 against the NFL and signed several of the NFL’s top players to AFL contracts. Several AFL owners held secret meetings with the NFL, and in July the AFL and NFL announced a merger. Due to the compensation AFL teams were required to pay the NFL, and because he believed the AFL would be the superior league if allowed to remain separate, Davis was against the merger. However, it is his aggressive actions as AFL commissioner that pressured the NFL, and led to the merger. Single handedly, Al Davis is thus responsible for the most popular sporting organization in the US coming together.
Al chose to return to the Raiders as general partner and head of football operations, 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 all of professional sports. The team has won 15 division championships, one AFL championship (1967), three Super Bowls (XI, XV, & XVIII), and made 21 playoff appearances. Though the team’s fortunes haven’t been as great in recent years, the Raiders are the only team other than the Pittsburgh Steelers to play in the Super Bowl in 4 different decades. Along with appearing in 5 Super Bowls, the Raiders have also played in their Conference/League Championship Game in every decade since their inception.
In 1992 Davis was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a team and league administrator, and was presented by John Madden. Davis has been chosen by a record nine Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees to present them at the Canton, Ohio ceremony: Lance Allworth, Jim Otto, George Blanda, Willie Brown, Gene Upshaw, Fred Biletnikoff, Art Shell, Ted Hendricks, and John Madden. Needless to say, Al is well known as a players’ owner and coach, yet another reason he takes so much heat from around the NFL.
Al is a legend, not just because of the results on the field, but because of the things he does off it. A great example is Al’s revolutionary hiring practices. Davis is known for judging his employees by their ability to win, rather than skin color. Al hired the first Latino head coach in NFL history, Tom Flores, in 1979. In 1989 he hired Art Shell, the first African American head coach in league history. He has also hired Amy Trask as president of the club, breaking the NFL glass ceiling that still remains in every other NFL franchise. If Al had not secured his reputation before, and there is no doubt that he had, the hiring of Amy Trask solidified him as a revolutionary for positive change not just the NFL, but professional sports as a whole.
Al is also known as a renegade, and for good reason! Davis has been involved in multiple lawsuits involving Los Angeles, Oakland, Irwindale, and 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. When the upstart United States Football League filed its antitrust suit in 1986, Davis was the only NFL owner who sided with the USFL. It is easy to see from these examples why so many in the upper echelon of the NFL have it out for Al.
In 1995, Davis moved the team back to Oakland, but the legal fights with the NFL were far form over! Davis again sued the NFL, claiming the league sabotaged the team’s effort to build a stadium located at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Los Angeles. The NFL won a 9-3 verdict in 2001, but Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Richard Hubbell ordered a new trial amid accusations that one juror was biased against the team and Davis, and that another juror committed misconduct. However, a state appellate court later overturned that decision. The case was thrown out July 2nd, 2007 when the California Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the verdict against the Raiders would stand. This was the last of several lawsuits the Raiders had outstanding against the NFL.
Even with this history of conflict, it was Al Davis that stepped in to save the 2006 season. The league came incredibly close to a lockout in 2006 when the CBA had to be redone and extended. The situation was ugly, drawn out, and there was almost no sign that the season and an agreement would be salvaged. It was then that Al Davis, ‘the player’s owner’, stepped in and used his leverage with the union and with the other owners to get a deal done and save the season. The negotiations left no one totally satisfied, while at the same time giving everyone something. This is one of the great compromises in professional sports history, and certainly could not have been achieved without the supposedly senile Al Davis bringing the two sides together.
Truly, no man has had more of an impact on professional football, on and off the field, than Al Davis. It would be wise for all the Davis detractors and haters to remember this, as many of them owe their livelihood to the success of the NFL, and thus Al Davis. Whether called a revolutionary or a renegade, always remember, Al will forever be Relevant, much more so than those around the league would like to think or have you believe.
Go Raiders! I’m Still In!!
Sources: Wiki and AMS2FX.com
OakFoSho is a regular reader and commenter on Thoughts from the Dark Side. If you would like to contribute to a future edition of Thoughts from a Reader’s Side, email me at mvnraider at yahoo.com.
A lesson in NFL and Oakland Raider History: Thoughts from a Reader’s Side
By Patrick Patterson
Al Davis is one of the most controversial figures in NFL History. He is loved and reviled. He is the outsider and the maverick. He is the owner of the Oakland Raiders who took on the NFL establishment and won. Thoughts from the Dark Side reader OakFoSho takes his turn in this installment of Thoughts from a Reader’s Side to talk about the greatness of Al Davis.
The Greatness of Al Davis: A lesson in pro football history.
by OakFoSho
Special to Thoughts from the Dark Side
Disclaimer: This is going to be a dusy, so prepare yourself for an extensive crash course in the Greatness of Al Davis!
Following the 2003 Super Bowl, the Oakland Raiders have fallen of hard times. The last five seasons, in total, have amounted to the worst stretch in Franchise history. Most NFL franchises, especially in the AFC West, have had terrible stretches in their history, but it’s the Raiders that take the most heat. Patrick points out in his most recent post that the Raiders are the Big Bad Guys that every loves to kick while they’re down. One person takes the brunt of the venom spit by the rest of the league, the media, and opposing fans. That person is Al Davis.
For the uneducated NFL fan, these snakes would have you believe that Al is senile, and of no relevance in today’s NFL. They call him names, and attempt to drag his legacy through the mud. These haters wear blinders, blinders that only allow them to see the last five seasons, while remaining blind to the remainder of Al’s great legacy and contribution to professional football both past and present. Well, this is nothing that a division title in 2008 won’t fix, but in the mean time let’s take a look at this great man’s history and his importance to the NFL.
Davis’ first coaching experience in professional football came as the offensive end coach of the Los Angeles Chargers from 1960 to 1962. Known then and now for his slicked-back hair, Brooklyn-tinged speech, dark glasses and ferocious competitiveness, Davis became the head coach and general manager of the AFL’s Oakland Raiders in 1963. At age 33, he was the youngest person in the history of professional football to hold these positions. 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. This was the beginning of an historic professional career for a man that would become the greatest most influential owner in professional football history.
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 against the NFL and signed several of the NFL’s top players to AFL contracts. Several AFL owners held secret meetings with the NFL, and in July the AFL and NFL announced a merger. Due to the compensation AFL teams were required to pay the NFL, and because he believed the AFL would be the superior league if allowed to remain separate, Davis was against the merger. However, it is his aggressive actions as AFL commissioner that pressured the NFL, and led to the merger. Single handedly, Al Davis is thus responsible for the most popular sporting organization in the US coming together.
Al chose to return to the Raiders as general partner and head of football operations, 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 all of professional sports. The team has won 15 division championships, one AFL championship (1967), three Super Bowls (XI, XV, & XVIII), and made 21 playoff appearances. Though the team’s fortunes haven’t been as great in recent years, the Raiders are the only team other than the Pittsburgh Steelers to play in the Super Bowl in 4 different decades. Along with appearing in 5 Super Bowls, the Raiders have also played in their Conference/League Championship Game in every decade since their inception.
In 1992 Davis was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a team and league administrator, and was presented by John Madden. Davis has been chosen by a record nine Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees to present them at the Canton, Ohio ceremony: Lance Allworth, Jim Otto, George Blanda, Willie Brown, Gene Upshaw, Fred Biletnikoff, Art Shell, Ted Hendricks, and John Madden. Needless to say, Al is well known as a players’ owner and coach, yet another reason he takes so much heat from around the NFL.
Al is a legend, not just because of the results on the field, but because of the things he does off it. A great example is Al’s revolutionary hiring practices. Davis is known for judging his employees by their ability to win, rather than skin color. Al hired the first Latino head coach in NFL history, Tom Flores, in 1979. In 1989 he hired Art Shell, the first African American head coach in league history. He has also hired Amy Trask as president of the club, breaking the NFL glass ceiling that still remains in every other NFL franchise. If Al had not secured his reputation before, and there is no doubt that he had, the hiring of Amy Trask solidified him as a revolutionary for positive change not just the NFL, but professional sports as a whole.
Al is also known as a renegade, and for good reason! Davis has been involved in multiple lawsuits involving Los Angeles, Oakland, Irwindale, and 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. When the upstart United States Football League filed its antitrust suit in 1986, Davis was the only NFL owner who sided with the USFL. It is easy to see from these examples why so many in the upper echelon of the NFL have it out for Al.
In 1995, Davis moved the team back to Oakland, but the legal fights with the NFL were far form over! Davis again sued the NFL, claiming the league sabotaged the team’s effort to build a stadium located at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Los Angeles. The NFL won a 9-3 verdict in 2001, but Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Richard Hubbell ordered a new trial amid accusations that one juror was biased against the team and Davis, and that another juror committed misconduct. However, a state appellate court later overturned that decision. The case was thrown out July 2nd, 2007 when the California Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the verdict against the Raiders would stand. This was the last of several lawsuits the Raiders had outstanding against the NFL.
Even with this history of conflict, it was Al Davis that stepped in to save the 2006 season. The league came incredibly close to a lockout in 2006 when the CBA had to be redone and extended. The situation was ugly, drawn out, and there was almost no sign that the season and an agreement would be salvaged. It was then that Al Davis, ‘the player’s owner’, stepped in and used his leverage with the union and with the other owners to get a deal done and save the season. The negotiations left no one totally satisfied, while at the same time giving everyone something. This is one of the great compromises in professional sports history, and certainly could not have been achieved without the supposedly senile Al Davis bringing the two sides together.
Truly, no man has had more of an impact on professional football, on and off the field, than Al Davis. It would be wise for all the Davis detractors and haters to remember this, as many of them owe their livelihood to the success of the NFL, and thus Al Davis. Whether called a revolutionary or a renegade, always remember, Al will forever be Relevant, much more so than those around the league would like to think or have you believe.
Go Raiders! I’m Still In!!
Sources: Wiki and AMS2FX.com
OakFoSho is a regular reader and commenter on Thoughts from the Dark Side. If you would like to contribute to a future edition of Thoughts from a Reader’s Side, email me at mvnraider at yahoo.com.