Oakland Raiders Owner Al Davis Dies

Al Davis, the Hall of Fame owner of the Oakland Raiders, has died at the age of 82.

Just Win Baby! RIP Al Davis!

From CNN:

In a brief post on their website, the Raiders said a statement would be issued later in the day.

The cause of death was not immediately released.

Much of Davis’ career was spent in Oakland, where he first arrived as a coach in 1963 — tasked with turning around a team that was picked to be at the bottom of the standings. The results were almost immediate, finishing 10-4 that season, and Davis was selected as coach of the year.

From KTVU:

It was Davis’ willingness to buck the establishment that helped turn the NFL into THE establishment in sports — the most successful sports league in American history. Davis was charming, cantankerous and compassionate — a man who when his wife suffered a serious heart attack in the 1970s moved into her hospital room.

But he was best known as a rebel, a man who established a team whose silver-and-black colors and pirate logo symbolized his attitude toward authority, both on the field and off.

Davis was one of the most important figures in NFL history. That was most evident during the 1980s when he fought in court — and won — for the right to move his team from Oakland to Los Angeles. Even after he moved them back to the Bay Area in 1995, he went to court, suing for $1.2 billion to establish that he still owned the rights to the L.A. market.