Just Win Baby: Burgess Owens Compares President Donald Trump to Former Raiders Owner Al Davis

Former NFL star Burgess Owens, running for Congress in Utah, spoke at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday before the main event of Vice President Mike Pence’s speech. The former Super Bowl winner, a first round pick of the New York Jets in 1973, spoke about family values and his own unique path to becoming a conservative.

Before his primetime speech, he told SI that this moment was bigger than winning the Super Bowl in 1980 with the Oakland Raiders.

Hours before giving his national speech, Owens was asked by SI if President Donald J. Trump reminded him of anyone from his playing days. Owens, who spent 10 years in the NFL and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1981, didn’t hesitate.

“Al Davis, he’d be Al Davis,” Owens said.

“Just win baby. He’s no question Al Davis.”

Davis, of course, was the longtime face of the Raiders franchise. He was known as an eccentric personality, always in his sunglasses and showing off his Super Bowl rings. He was a visionary who pushed the NFL into a new era four decades ago by building his teams with an emphasis on speed and athleticism.

He became part owner of the Raiders and general manager in 1966 then became the principal owner six years later. They won three Super Bowls under his watch including 1980 with Owens as a starting safety. He passed away in 2011.

Davis infamously coined the phrase “Just win baby” which Owens has co-opted as part of his campaign, saying that if the Democrats win the general election the nation will live under the motto of “Just whine baby.” Owens is running in Utah's fourth congressional district.

He is fiscal conservative who also has embraced the Republican platform pertaining to family values.

"This November, we have an opportunity to reject the mob mentality and once again be the America my great-great grandfather believed in," Owens said in his speech.

"During the Trump administration, business ownership among Blacks, Hispanics, and females have reached all-time highs. Those same groups enjoyed record low unemployment and unprecedented prosperity... and we’re just getting started!"

Owens is critical of the direction of the country. The NBA announced that all their playoff games for Wednesday will be rescheduled. This was done after the Milwaukee Bucks refused to take the court for their game as a protest following the death of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, WI. Blake’s death happened in an encounter with the police.

As a former professional athlete, Owens has broken with many of today’s sports stars who are using their platforms to protest charges of police brutality by the Black community. He said that he disagrees with protests during the national anthem and also how the NBA handled the postponement of the three playoff games on Wednesday.

“The NBA, NFL, Nike, Google – all these places now that are run by these folks who have been raised in colleges to be radical leftists. They’ve made the decision of what is not best for this country. Every single reason of them highlights the worst and not what brings us together. That isn’t what the founders of these leagues were all about,” Owens said.

“These guys are undermining that.”