Al Davis Dead: One-of-a-Kind Owner's Shoes Will Never Be Filled in Oakland

If it were just about wins and losses, replacement would be easy. It is bigger than five Super Bowl appearances, three wins and a AFL Championship. The Hall of Fame, NFL legend was a pioneer. A progressive thinking maverick in the business of professional football.

He served as AFL commissioner in 1966 and took the NFL head on, competing for and winning the services of top NFL free agents before the merger. He moved the Raiders from Oakland to Los Angeles and back to Oakland again.

He was the only owner that sided with the rival USFL during the NFL's lawsuit against the upstart league. Davis almost always went against the grain.

His effects on the game are as far reaching as any other person who has ever touched it. His signature phrase and Raiders monikers became synonymous with the team.

The uttering of "Just Win Baby," and "Commitment to Excellence," always conjures up images of black and silver and Davis' grizzled scowl.

No other owner was able to evoke his personality and spirit in his players the way Davis did. There were offensive and defensive prospects in college that draft analyst would label as Raider-like or born to be a Raider. These players played with that edge and persona that flowed from Davis.

As he aged and the game seemed to pass him by, Davis stood defiant and proclaimed he would not retire as owner until he won two more Super Bowls or he died.

Davis was never dictated to, always operating on his terms. He is irreplaceable not because of team success, but because of presence.

If there ever was a man, worthy of being sent to rest with a spirited rendition of Frank Sinatra's classic, "My Way", it is Al Davis. May he rest in peace.