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Four Raiders named to The Athletic’s Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame

By Khaled Abdallah

Mandatory Credit: Al Bello /Allsport
Mandatory Credit: Al Bello /Allsport /
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OAKLAND, : Al Davis, the owner of the Oakland Raiders, smiles as he faces reporters and photographers after a press conference at the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Arena 06 July. Davis has signed an agreement to move the Los Angeles Raiders back to Oakland, California, after leaving 14 years ago. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read JOHN G. MABANGLO/AFP via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, : Al Davis, the owner of the Oakland Raiders, smiles as he faces reporters and photographers after a press conference at the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Arena 06 July. Davis has signed an agreement to move the Los Angeles Raiders back to Oakland, California, after leaving 14 years ago. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read JOHN G. MABANGLO/AFP via Getty Images) /

Al Davis: Coach, Owner, and General Manager

If The Athletic was to select just one figure from the Raiders it would have to be none other than Al Davis. The legendary figure did just about everything at one time for the Raiders save for strapping on the pads and helmet. Davis was a scout, assistant coach, head coach, general manager, and owner of the Raiders in his nearly 50 years with the club.

He was a trailblazer on and off the field as he innovated his way to three Super Bowl victories and hired the first minority head coach and female executive in the history of the NFL. Davis didn’t care about who you were or where you were from as long as you could help the Raiders win. That ruthlessness lead to some of the great controversies over the years as he moved the Raiders up and down the state of California and hired and fired coaches faster than you could say “Just Win, Baby”.

"“At the peak of his powers, Davis transformed a struggling franchise into a three-time Super Bowl champion; the Raiders had the best record in pro sports from 1963 to 1991.” Source: The Athletic"

Al or Mr. Davis as he was known by all of his players, will forever be linked to the Raiders as he made them a global brand and did everything he could to ensure that Raider Nation is truly worldwide. You can’t tell the story of the NFL without Al Davis and you can’t tell the story of football in the Bay Area without him either so a top-five ranking is well deserved.

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