The first time I met Al Davis was the early 1990s. I had just started covering the NFL and asked for an interview. He had refused for months and then granted a brief one. Some of the first words out of his mouth were these: "Don't believe every lie the league office says about me."
For much of his brilliant, chaotic and unreal life, Al Davis was at war. He fought commissioners. He fought other owners. He fought cities. He tussled with mayors and politicians and his own players. He earned a reputation as a crazy man.
But for those of you who don't know, do not let that deter from what Davis did. The NFL you see today? The multi-billion dollar league? The great league? The biggest, the baddest? Al Davis helped to build it. In many ways, it can be argued, few were bigger at making the sport what it is now.
He modernized the passing game. He made marketing a part of being an owner. He hired minorities to be coaches when other owners refused.
Al Davis was, in short, a brilliant man.
Never forget that. Never, ever forget that.
Blog Entry
Comments
|
Since: Dec 2, 2011 |
Posted on: February 21, 2012 7:35 am
Al Davis helped make the NFL great |
|
Since: Dec 2, 2011 |
Posted on: January 15, 2012 9:08 pm
Al Davis helped make the NFL great |
|
Since: Dec 2, 2011 |
Posted on: December 31, 2011 8:02 pm
Al Davis helped make the NFL greatIt is one particular on the the vast majority of authentic websites I had surely go to. Not merely one be relevant overcomes outstanding named the company managing escapade available on areas. Thank you for growing right into genuine that.
|
|
Since: Nov 19, 2011 |
Posted on: December 24, 2011 9:59 pm
Al Davis helped make the NFL greatImpressive Write-up. Setting up which you'll take care of publish a tale possessing a helpful guidance. Many th anks!
|
|
Since: May 19, 2008 |
Posted on: October 11, 2011 5:45 pm
Al Davis helped make the NFL great"Committment to Excellence." What team or business, for that matter, couldn't use that slogan? Al Davis was under constant fire for his competence and character, but those who knew him paint a different picture. One of (dare I say) caring, loyalty, integrity, and perserverance. I didn't know him, but I saw those who crossed him conspire against him. He did his job. It seemed to me he acted in a way that he felt was in the best interest of the Raiders until the end.
By the way, I agree with his feeling that the Raiders get first dibs on LA. How can another team get a new stadium there if the Raiders can only have one if they share it with an expansion team? ...a blatant conspiracy...although I like them better in Oakland. Go Raiders! |
|
Since: Oct 9, 2011 |
Posted on: October 9, 2011 11:09 pm
Al Davis helped make the NFL greatAl Davis was the one that started scouting and drafting black players.His style of play, of go deep and put alot of points on the board,put alot of people in the seats.At the time of the AFL-NFL merger ,the AFL was more popular.The AFL owners wanted to hold out on a merger,the AFL owners knew they had a better product, but Lamar Hunt took side money from the NFL. |
|
Since: Jan 4, 2011 |
Posted on: October 9, 2011 8:02 pm
Al Davis helped make the NFL greatAl Davis's greatness was far in the past, in the decades of the 1960s and 1970s. Do not forget that behind him lies a "gianter" giant by the name of Lamar Hunt.
I remember a few years ago seeing a list of America's greatest sportsment of the 20th Century. Pete Rozelle was on the list, but shockingly, Lamar Hunt, founder of the AFL was not. Sorry, but without Lamar Hunt, there would have been no Al Davis and no Pete Rozelle. Hunt broke the existing sports monopoly and thge old boys network of ossified owners. Davis was important in professional football, but Hunt was the progenitor of the great age of North American men's professional sports which has followed the NFL-AFL merger. |
|
Since: Oct 9, 2011 |
Posted on: October 9, 2011 5:55 pm
Al Davis was the Connie Mack of Pro FootballAl Davis was the Connie Mack of professional football. Both not only helped launch an upstart sports league, but also forced a merger with its more-established peer. Both were owner-manager of a major sports franchise for a half-century and both enjoyed tremendous success in their first 15 years, so-so results in their next 15, then mediocrity for the last 20. Both had their share of controversy, Mack with player sales and Davis with lawsuits. Did I mention Mack's team, the Athletics, shares its home with Davis' Raiders? |
|
Since: Sep 5, 2009 |
Posted on: October 9, 2011 1:40 pm
Al Davis helped make the NFL greatdixupinyomom is probably the same worthless turd who called Lee Roy Selmon a crackhead when he died.
|
|
Since: Sep 5, 2009 |
Posted on: October 9, 2011 1:38 pm
Al Davis helped make the NFL greatdixupinyomom (wow. how many days did take for you to think up that one?) what a dipsh!t you are.
|
