Oakland Raiders: Fans Talk About Al Davis' Passing Before Browns Game in Oakland

On Sunday about two hours prior to kickoff, I was walking around on the sacred grass that is part of the house that Al built.

As I peered around watching the players practice and looking for an angle for a second story other than my normal recap; I looked up and noticed the fans starting to trickle in with their signs of remembrance for the longtime owner of their beloved Oakland Raiders.

That was my angle, I wanted to hear what was going through the minds of Raiders fans last Saturday when they heard the terrible news about the death of Al Davis at 82-years-old.

The first fan I decided to engage was “The Violator”. In case you don’t know who this is (if you don’t then shame on you), check out the picture above.

”Total shock, it kind of threw me back; my whole weekend was kind of in reverse,” said the man with tree trunks for arms.

“I am dedicating the rest of the season to 'The Don'—The godfather is watching over us. Rest in peace Al, we love you brother,” added the Violator as his eyes pierced a whole in my head with a glare that quite honestly gave me chills.

Next up was Kenji Crooms. Crooms has attended many Raider games in the past.  On this day he decided to do it in a way that would have made Al proud, watching the game from the “Black Hole” for the first time.

“I did not know Al Davis could die,” he said with a smile.  “Every time I would see his face on T.V., and it would have the dates underneath his name, it brought a tear to my eye every time,” added Crooms.

For my next conversation, I turned to my left and started to chat with Randy Brooks. Brooks is the guy who gave Crooms his extra ticket to the “Black Hole.”

“Randy is a 10-year veteran of the famous or infamous (if you’re not a Raider fan) Black Hole.”  “Tremendous loss, not just to the Raiders, but to the NFL,” said Brooks on how he felt when he heard the news. 

“You would see him quite a bit in the parking lot where he would drive in and drive out in his limo.  I’ve seen him stop and wave and take a few minutes hear and there. It was really nice to have some interaction,” added Brooks.

After talking to Randy I walked back towards the Raider sideline and stumbled upon “Mr Oakland” himself, MC Hammer. “It was devastating, anybody who is a part of the fabric of this city and Raider Nation has always considered Al Davis as a family member. As a youth he’s like an uncle to you, as a man he’s like a father figure,” said Hammer.

All week we have heard great tributes to the man, from celebrities, colleagues, co-workers and more, it was a nice change to hear from the heart of Raider Nation on the passing of Mr. Davis.