Oakland Raiders Owner Dies At Age Of 82

By: Toby Christie

The longtime owner of the Oakland Raiders, Al Davis, has passed away today at the age of 82. The news was broke in somber fashion via the Oakland Raiders website.

On the home page it read Davis’ name in big bold silver letters, with the dates “July 4, 1929 – October 8, 2011″ directly beneath it. Behind the letters was a solid black background, a fitting tribute.

Davis – a proud man – had to put up with seeing his team flounder for seven-straight seasons after a Super Bowl appearance in 2003, and it appeared with declining health he may not see his team ever be a winner again… But that couldn’t be how Davis – who had earned three Super Bowl rings with the organization – would go out. He was much to proud of his organization, and had led them all too well for too long for this to be how it would end.

Last season the Raiders turned the losing culture around with an 8-8 season, and they went undefeated in contests against their divisional rivals. The Raiders were beginning to “Just win baby”.

With two wins in the first four games this season, and two decent performances in losses the Raiders look to be on the verge of being a force again.

Our thoughts go out to the Davis family, and we hope the Raiders can channel their emotions into victories down the stretch in honor of Al Davis.

Al Davis’ career milestones:

AFL’s coach of the year (1963)
Served as AFL commissioner in 1966
1967 AFL Champion
3-time Super Bowl Champion Owner and GM (1976, 1980 and 1983)
4-time AFC Champion (1976, 1980, 1983 and 2002)
NFL Hall of Fame Class of 1992