Al Davis, NFL Legend & Firebrand, Passed on Today

"The 82-year-old Davis, Oakland Raiders owner-general mgr-mentor, died at his home in Oakland on Saturday morning, while his beloved team was in Houston preparing to play the Texans on Saturday. That Davis was not with his team was telling as he is believed to have missed only three games since joining the team as coach in 1963."

. . .

"Davis has fired five coaches since then and in recent years those became bizarre spectacles that were the only window into Davis. Once a constant presence at practice, training camp and in the locker room, Davis was rarely seen in public beyond those news conferences where he spent more time disparaging his former coach than praising his new one.

He did not appear at a single training camp practice this summer and missed a game in Buffalo last month. Davis did attend Oakland’s home game last week against New England.

Although he was no longer as public a figure, he was still integrally involved in the team from the draft to negotiating contracts to discussing strategy with his coaches. Coach Hue Jackson has said Davis was unlike any other owner he had worked for in his ability to understand the ins and outs of the game.

“I’ve never had the opportunity to sit and talk football, the X’s and O’s and what it takes to win in this league consistently on a consistent basis, and there’s nothing like working for coach Davis,” Jackson said. "