Al Davis was owner of the Raiders, an NFL football team. They were originally the Oakland Raiders, then the Los Angeles Raiders, then the Oakland Raiders, and are now the Las Vegas Raiders. Anyone who followed football in the 80s (or watched the news) marveled at how fearless Al Davis was in pursuing his goal of controlling his team’s destiny. This winning power move by Al Davis eventually opened the doors for all NFL franchises to move about as the market dictated.
The Las Vegas Raiders wear the same Silver and Black as they did in Oakland where Al went from assistant coach, to head coach/general manager, to commissioner (of the ALF), to owner of one of the most recognized franchises in the world.
Al Davis won 3 Super Bowls and was a hands-on owner and general manager. The stories of him calling down from his suite to the field to call in plays were legendary displays of his control. He was inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.
Little known facts about his tenure:
- Al Davis was on the front line of fighting for Civil Rights;
- In the 1960’s, he refused to play in cities where black and white players were housed in different hotels;
- He was the first NFL owner to hire a black head coach – Art Shell;
- He was the first NFL owner to hire a female chief executive officer- Amy Trask;
- He hired the second Latino head coach – Tom Flores.
And the stories go on about his social awareness and philanthropy.
What is the point of all this?
The public persona of Al Davis was that he was a ruthless, micro-managing, media obsessed owner and he may have been all that, but like everything else, there is always more to the story. Despite his very personal animosity toward the then-commissioner of the NFL, Al had alliances with many of the longtime owners (except then-New England owners the Sullivan Family) and deep relationships with players, coaches and administrators throughout the league. Why? They respected his love of the game and respected that he was one of them.
Pivot time.
The same can be said about politicians and longtime staffers. We always give a little more credit to those who have successfully played the game. I laugh out loud when advice is dispensed from nonplayers who never served in the legislature, or put their name on the ballot, and never really put it on the line to win. There is always value added when you hear from a seasoned staffer or former legislator who survived a decade or two worth of battles in the halls of Trenton. Experience means something.
Getting back to Al Davis, despite his well-known reputation of always fighting some injustice at all costs, and the “Just Win Baby” mantra, there is something more to this ground breaking once-in-a-lifetime individual. Al Davis may have left this world, but he left behind a truth that fits squarely in our political worlds. Sometimes you have to put it all on the line if you really believe in a cause.
In politics, sometimes it is worth the fight, particularly if you are in the right, and especially if it goes to your core.
Al Davis was willing to put it all on the line (his ownership of the team) on principle and in doing so showed the world his resiliency to Just Win Baby!