Oakland Raiders Al Davis: Passing of a Renegade

There have been many adjectives used to describe Al Davis in the past. Tough. Relentless. Ornery. Driven. Vindictive. Charismatic. Loyal. But, examining the man's life and what he meant to not only the NFL but to so many individuals, only one word can sum him up: Fighter.

Al Davis built the Raiders in his own image. They were outlaws, and so was he. He instilled in the team an all-out, all-or-nothing philosophy, both off the field an on. He loved the "vertical game," and often said that when the Raiders came out of the huddle, they weren't looking for first downs, they were looking for touchdowns.

Davis lived his life the same way. He wasn't looking to simply move the chains; he was looking for the big play, the 50-yard bomb. More often than not, he got exactly what he wanted.

He fought the NFL, and made an arch enemy of Pete Rozelle. He fought the cities of Los Angeles and Oakland, moving the team from one to the other and back again. He was a fighter, and expected his players to be as well.

Often lost in all the controversy that constantly surrounded Davis is the incredible accomplishments and innovations he brought to professional football. In 1968, he drafted Eldridge Dickey, the first African-American quarterback drafted in the first round of any pro football draft.In 1979, he hired the NFL's first Latino head coach (Tom Flores).

He successfully challenged the NFL's anti-trust exemption in 1982, which allowed him to move the Raiders to Los Angeles. In 1989, he hired the first African-American coach in the NFL, former Raiders lineman Art Shell. But the accomplishments that meant the most to Davis were undoubtedly the Raiders three Super Bowl championships.

There are certainly criticisms that could be raised in the case of Al Davis, there were many who said he was too involved in the football operations of the Raiders, or too behind the times to be successful in the "new" NFL, but those topics will be left for another day.

Regardless, the one thing that is certain is that the Raider organization has lost its heart and soul. For better of worse, Al Davis WAS the Raiders.