Anyone who is a football fan should know what Al Davis did for the game. To start, he began his career in football as a coach. Eventually, he worked his way into the NFL as a coach (of the then Los Angeles and now San Diego Chargers).
He ended up being brought into the Raiders' organization in 1962 as their general manager and head coach. At that time, Davis was responsible for putting the image of the Raiders together, as a darker team that wore black as its team colors which put a lot of fear in opponents.
Davis started his career with the Raiders on a high note and bred success in the franchise. He also had success for himself as head coach, being named the AFL’s Coach of the Year in 1963.
In 1966, Davis was given the title of AFL Commissioner and helped to bring the fledgling league into prominence. He was part of the agreement which brought together the AFL and the NFL, and even though he was against it, the deal went through. He eventually resigned his post as commissioner.
Davis ended up purchasing some stock in the Raiders and took a very active role in the team. Davis was given the title of head of football operations and he built the team that would eventually go to the second Super Bowl ever (which ended up being a 33-14 loss to the Green Bay Packers).
He managed to gain control of the team by having one of his other two partners sign control of the team over to him. With two-thirds control he was able to take over the Raiders and thus he began the long reign as their owner. The move was contested in court, but the courts rul...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
