Raiders Owner Al Davis' “role in the history of the National Football League and indeed all of American sports is seminal,” according to Ray Ratto of CSNBAYAREA.com. The “depth and breadth of his importance is barely calculable.” Ratto wrote, “It can and must be said that without him, the culture and landscape of football, franchise moves, league mergers and the general nature of sporting icons would be dramatically different” (CSNBAYAREA.com, 10/8). SI.com’s Peter King asked, “Has there ever been anyone like him? In pro football history, I mean. I honestly can't think of one. … Look at the first 42 years of Davis' professional career, and it's clear he belongs on the Mount Rushmore of football history.” King noted “no single person played more of a role” in former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle resigning in ’89, as Rozelle “was sick of fighting Davis in court over the movement of his franchise” (SI.com, 10/9). Former Raiders LB and NFL Network's Matt Millen said, "I don't think there's anyone in the National Football League -- with the possible exception of (former Chicago Bears owner and coach) George Halas -- who's had as big an impact. He influenced a ton of things, either overtly, by pushing for rules, or covertly, by twisting the rules" (L.A. TIMES, 10/9). In N.Y., Mike Lupica wrote, “There have been a lot of characters in pro football. Never one bigger than Big Al” (N. Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/9). Lupica added, “I believe that whatever list you make of the seminal figures in professional sports over the last 50 or 75 years in this country, Al Davis was one of them” (“The Sports Reporters,” ESPN, 10/9).
HAILED AS A VISIONARY: ESPN’s Chris Berman said Davis "was a visionary, he was a renegade, he was an icon." Berman: "He was all about football and held just about every job imaginable at every level. He was one of a kind.” ESPN’s Mike Ditka, “He’s the reason we have one NFL” (“Sunday NFL Countdown,” ESPN, 10/9). Fox’ Howie Long said, “The NFL lost a titan, a man who more than any other helped shape the league and the game that you see played today” (“Fox NFL Sunday,” Fox, 10/9). A S.F. CHRONICLE editorial states, “His way redefined the sport in so many ways. Neither the Raiders nor the NFL will be the same without him” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 10/10). In Chicago, Neil Hayes wrote there is “no question he was a visionary,” and he “changed the game in countless ways” (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 10/9). NBC’s Bob Costas noted,” Al Davis was an American original. He deserves to be long remembered, not because he was a model, but because he mattered.” Costas added, “We will not see his like again” ("Packers-Falcons," NBC, 10/9). YAHOO SPORTS’ Doug Farrar wrote, “Love him or hate him, there will never be another Al Davis” (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 10/8). In Ft. Lauderdale, Mike Berardino wrote of late Yankees Chair George Steinbrenner and Davis, “You'd be hard pressed to find two greater figures or visionaries on the American sports scene -- ever” (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 10/9).
ONE OF A KIND: In N.Y., Steve Serby wrote Davis was the “Frank Sinatra of football, forever doing things his way.” He was “one of the most important figures in NFL history -- a rebel with a subpoena” (N.Y. POST, 10/9). In Toronto, Mike Ganter also compared Davis to Sinatra, writing Davis “did it his way,” and if “you didn’t like it, that was your problem” (TORONTO SUN, 10/9). In N.Y., Dave Anderson wrote Davis would "do or say whatever it took to get what he wanted” (N.Y. TIMES, 10/9). FOXSPORTS.com’s Alex Marvez writes Davis was “known as a maverick, and he proved it when he moved his franchise from Oakland to Los Angeles and back” (FOXSPORTS.com, 10/10). Raiders Chief Exec Amy Trask said, “He wasn’t doing it for style points or political correctness points, but he was absolutely, positively a maverick. When rules were put in place about hiring, those of us who work for the Raiders would look at each other and smile. He hired the way we hope everybody would hire” (N.Y. TIMES, 10/9).
PLAYING HIS ROLE AS THE VILLAIN: In L.A., Bill Plaschke wrote the NFL is “far less interesting” without Davis as he was “probably the greatest villain in the history of American sports, universally feared but absolutely necessary.” Plaschke: “He played it like a bully: He conned the city of Oakland. He conned the city of Los Angeles. He sued anyone who stood in his way” (L.A. TIMES, 10/9). SI's Joe Posnanski wrote, “Al Davis was a great American sports villain, the best of his time, the best of all time. ... No one in NFL history was able to express their personality on a football field quite the way Al Davis did” (JOEPOSNANSKI.com, 10/8). In N.Y., Bruce Weber wrote Davis “was a polarizing force in football, the object of both admiration and animosity” (N.Y. TIMES, 10/9). NBC’s Cris Collinsworth said, “He was a divisive figure in many ways but I also know that as a pure fan of the game he was something special” ("Football Night In America," NBC, 10/9).
LOSS IN THE BAY AREA: A SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS editorial noted, “The Bay Area not only lost one of its all-time sports icons with the passing of Al Davis at age 82, but the sports world witnessed a professional sports owner who operated like no other. As principal owner and truly the face of the Oakland Raiders, Davis continued to buck the NFL system and flew in the face of public opinion. He steered the Raiders the way he saw fit, no matter the outcome or the ramifications of his moves” (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 10/9). In Oakland, Monte Poole wrote Davis “will be forever regarded as one of the most fascinating figures in the history of athletics, unquestionably the most compelling in the comprehensive book of Bay Area sports, all without personally engaging in actual competition.” Poole: “Never was there a more iconic and enduring symbol of a business. Not Oprah Winfrey, not Steve Jobs. Not George Halas or Bill Walsh or Bob Knight. Not even Davis' good friend, George Steinbrenner” (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 10/9).
