Mark Davis, Oakland Raiders
MARK DAVIS | OWNER | AGE: 63
Education: California State University, Chico
How They Acquired the Franchise: Mark, and his mother Carol Davis, inherited the franchise from Al Davis (Carol’s husband, Mark’s father) after his death in October 2011. Al positioned himself as managing general partner of the Raiders starting in 1972, though he would not acquire a majority interest in the team until 2005. At the time of his death, it was reported Al only owned 47% of the team, but that the Davis family maintained full control of the franchise going forward.
Net Worth: $500 million (per Las Vegas Review-Journal in 2016)
Franchise Valuation: $2.38 billion (per Forbes in 2017)
How They Made Their Money: Al earned the family's money, starting as a line coach at USC and moving up to become a player personnel assistant, an assistant coach, a head coach, a general manager, an AFL league commissioner and then eventually the owner of the Raiders. Mark has worked exclusively for the Raiders throughout his adult life.
In the Owner’s Words: In a statement issued shortly after the Raiders’ move to Las Vegas was approved, Davis said, “My father always said, ‘the greatness of the Raiders is in its future,’ and the opportunity to build a world-class stadium in the entertainment capital of the world is a significant step toward achieving that greatness. … The Raiders were born in Oakland and Oakland will always be part of our DNA. We know that some fans will be disappointed and even angry, but we hope that they do not direct that frustration to the players, coaches and staff.”
Political Donations: Mark donated $10K to the Gridiron PAC, a bi-partisan committee, between 2016-17.
NFL Committees: Super Bowl & Major Events Advisory Committee.
