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Al Davis

The Glory Years



Gathering unwanted players from around the league, Davis continued to build on the Raiders' powerful reputation. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the Raiders and Davis were despised for dirty play and even dirtier business tactics. Davis, on the other hand, had by now adopted his "just win, baby" attitude and continued unfazed by the criticism. Rumors spread that not only had Davis bugged the opposing team's locker room but that



Al Davis

he had an army of unofficial scouts spying on other teams and luring their players away from them. "I'd run into some high school coach and he'd tell me he was a Raider scout," said former player, Gene Upshaw. "Everybody was a Raider scout." Davis was also rumored to have been seen at a celebrity golf tournament hoping to find an unhappy player to steal. "Al can steal your eyeballs and convince you that you look better without them," said former Cleveland Brown's coach Sam Rutigliano. Inside the organization, however, Davis's players regarded him as a hero and remained loyal to the black and silver. His treatment of players was unparalleled in the league. The NFL even had to impose a maximum on the amount spent on Super Bowl rings after Davis's diamond studded design following the Raiders' 1980 victory.

Chronology

1929 Born July 4 in Brockton, Massachusetts
1957 Coaches line at the University of Southern California
1963 Hired as coach and general manager of the Oakland Raiders
1963 Named AFL Coach of the Year
1966 Named AFL commissioner
1969 Returns to Oakland as managing general partner
1977 Wins first Super Bowl with the Raiders
1977 Named NFL Executive of the Year
1980 Wins second Super Bowl with the Raiders
1982 Moves team from Oakland to Los Angeles
1984 Wins third Super Bowl
1992 Inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame
1995 Moves Raiders back to Oakland

Additional topics

Famous Sports StarsFootballAl Davis Biography - Growing Up, Davis And The Afl, The Black And Silver, The Glory Years, Chronology