Monday Football Special : Al Davis 1929-2011

The mercurial Al Davis passed away today . I have always like Al because he always pushed the envelope. He truly thought outside he box . He was an innovator. He crossed several decades from the 60"s to the 2k TENS !


Al was born to a wealthy family in Brocktown Massachusetts,the same town that spawned former heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano. He soon moved the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn.

Davis football career began as a offensive line coach from 1960-1962 for the Los Angeles Chargers ( not a miss print ) the Chargers were originally in Los Angeles.
In 1963 he was chosen to be the head coach for the Oakland Raiders and immediately improved the winning percentage for the team.

In 1966 Davis was chosen by his peers to head the AFL but what is best known is winning .
From the wikepedia post of October 8 , 2011 best sums up the Al Davis Legacy .
The Raiders became one of the most successful teams in all of professional sports. From 1967 to 1985 the team won 13 division championships, one AFL championship (1967), three Super Bowls (XI, XV, and XVIII) and made 15 playoff appearances. Though the Raiders' fortunes have waned in recent years, having gone 37–91 from 2003 to 2010, they are one of two teams to play in the Super Bowl in four different decades, with the other being the Pittsburgh Steelers. Along with appearing in five Super Bowls, the Raiders have also played in their Conference/League Championship Game in every decade since their inception.


Davis from a sociological point of view broke the good old boy network .He was the first team owner to hire a minorities ad head football coaches by Hiring Tom Flores and Art Shell .HIS AGGRESSIVE MANNER AND HIS COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE SEPARATED HIM FROM THE PACK . Mr. Davis you have earned your rest ,thanks for all you did as an innovator and a man who gave minorities a chance to win , when others put them on the sideline.