Al Davis: Remembering the Best 7 Moments of Davis' Raider Tenure

Although many of us had a lot of fun at the expense of former Raiders owner Al Davis, who passed away today, he had a strong career with the Raiders and was in the process of rebuilding his program before his untimely death.

From conference championships to draft pick busts, Davis has had a variety of good and bad throughout his tenure with the Raiders.

Here we'll look back on the most memorable moments of Davis' long career.

Hired as Head Coach/GM After 1962 Season

Al Davis' lengthy career with the Raiders began before the 1963 season, when he was hired as head coach and GM.

The most impressive thing about that was his age. At 33, he was the youngest man in the league to have those distinctions.

AFL Coach of the Year in 1963

The same year Davis was hired as the youngest head coach in the league, he led his Raiders to a 10-4 record.

Davis was named the AFL Coach of the Year in just his first season.

Drafted Gene Upshaw in 1967

Although Davis has had his share of poor draft picks in recent memory, the pick of Gene Upshaw in 1967 was arguably one of the best decisions of his career.

Upshaw became a staple on Oakland's offensive line and was a big part of the Raiders' perennial success in this era.

Upshaw later became involved in the NFLPA and is one of the most well-known and loved players in NFL history.

1967 AFL Championship

The same year Davis drafted Upshaw, the Raiders had one of the best seasons in their history.

John Rauch, the man that succeeded Davis at head coach, led the Raiders to the Super Bowl. On the way, the Raiders rolled over the Houston Oilers by a 40-7 score in the AFL Championship.

Although they lost to Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl, it was still a phenomenal season.

Super Bowl XI

In 1976, the Raiders finally notched their first Super Bowl win.

The 16-1 Raiders defeated the Minnesota Vikings 32-14 under head coach John Madden, who is one of the most well-known names in NFL history.

Super Bowl XV

During arguably the most successful run in Raiders history, Super Bowl XV was the second of two Super Bowl wins in just five years.

Before the 1980 season, Davis made a very controversial decision to trade quarterback Ken Stabler. However, that ultimately gave way to Jim Plunkett (after a Dan Pastorini injury), who led the Raiders to a win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XV.

To put icing on the cake, the Raiders beat the Ken Stabler-led Oilers 27-7 in the playoffs.

Signed Rich Gannon in 1999

Davis' signing of free agent Rich Gannon in 1999 proved to be the integral piece to the Raiders' early-2000s success.

Gannon made four straight Pro Bowls and won the NFL MVP award in 2002 in leading the Raiders to Super Bowl XXXVII, throwing for over 4,600 yards and 26 touchdowns.

Gannon retired in 2005, and the Raiders have had very little success since.