Chargers Raiders
Oakland Raiders Owe Their Success to One Man
The man behind the Oakland Raiders was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame on August 1, 1992. Raider's owner Al Davis started his pro football coaching career four decades ago as assistant coach for the LA Chargers. The rest can be called as history since Davis went on to be the head coach and general manager of the Raiders from then on.
When he first took over the Oakland franchise, the team barely won any games in the first few seasons of the new American Football League. Because of this, he challenged himself to be the one to build one of the finest franchise in the league. The year 1966 was a big year for Davis when he became the Commissioner of the American Football League. It was also during this year that he became the principal owner and CEO of the Raiders. The legacy that Al Davis leaves for sports history is unparalleled in terms of winning and excellence.
Just like any other football hopeful, Davis started as a line coach at the Adelphi College in New York. He eventually went into the U.S. Army and was assigned as the head coach for football in Ft. Belvoir in Virginia. This was the first time that his great ability for coaching was seen by the public when he built a really powerful team to topple the National Collegiate Football Champions at that time - the University of Maryland. His career went further when he served the Baltimore Colts as a staff who concentrated on player personnel work. In 1955, he also worked as a line coach and chief recruiter at The Citadel. He also spent three years as a line coach at the University of Southern California.
Before being the Oakland Raiders head coach and general manager in 1963, Davis served as the offensive end coach for the LA Chargers for two years. When he started coaching the Raiders, the team got an impressive 10-4 record. Because of this feat, Davis was named Coach of the Year by several publications and his fellow coaches. He further made history with the nine-win turnaround in one season. Also, he was the first sports man recognized by the Oakland Chamber of Commerce when he was selected as the Young Man of the Year.
When he was commissioner of the AFL, he was thought to be the driving force who made the merger between the AFL and NFL possible. His presence in the NFL Competition Committee and NFL Owners Executive Committee made a significant bearing on the overall development of the game. He also became the first recipient of the NFL Players Association's Retired Players Award of Excellence.
With these achievements, it can easily be said that Al Davis indeed is one heck of a sportsman. And he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame more than any one else. It's amazing how one man can make such a big difference in the world of football. Even more amazing is how Al Davis have accomplished these feats in his lifetime.
About the Author
Rick Grantham is an avid NFL fan. Most of Rick's articles focus on
Oakland Raiders Merchandise
. Many articles are related to
Colts helmet
and other sports related topics. Rick is a contributing author to BooYah Village
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