Life and Legacy of Al Davis: Head Coach of the Raiders
Al Davis was a one-of-a-kind. He knew that change was inevitable, so instead of waiting for change, he brought change with him.
In this series, we’re reflecting on Davis’s life and legacy. Today, we’ll talk about his final years as a head coach.
Al Davis as Coach of the Raiders
In 1963, Davis would step foot into a franchise that went through three coaches in the previous three seasons. The pressure was on to bring some victories to the Raiders, who went 1-13 the season before and 2-12 the year before that.
But what’s funny is that when Davis was first offered the job as head coach with the Raiders, the 33-year old Davis turned down the offer because he wanted a longer-term deal.
In the modern era of football, he turned down a chance to be the then third-youngest head coach in pro football history because he wanted a long-term deal.
But here’s the thing that’s amazing about Davis. He knew the Raiders wanted him so badly that Davis could work out a long-term deal with them.
The Raiders; primary owner at the time, Wayne Valley, later reflected telling Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated: “We needed someone who wanted to win so badly he would do anything. Everywhere I went, people told me what a son of a bitch. Al Davis was.
"So, I figured he must be doing something right.”
Valley was a successful businessman and said he knew it eventually would come down to him and Davis for control of the Raiders. He figured he had the advantage because he considered Davis to be simply a football coach.
We know how that worked out.
The non-traditional tactic had worked once again for Davis.
After agreeing to a three-year deal, Davis turned the Raiders around and went 10-4 in 1963 to earn AFL Coach of the Year honors. To this day, Davis’ turnaround of the Raiders is known to be one of the greatest reversals in football history.
In 1964, the Raiders dipped down to a mediocre 5-7 record as Davis began to rebuild the Raiders. But once again, Davis turned his team around in ’65 with an 8-5 record.
But as 1966 drew closer, the NFL-AFL battle intensified. So much so that in the spring of ‘66, then AFL Commissioner Joe Foss resigned, and the AFL needed a new leader.
So, who would the owners look to be the guy leading the battle against the NFL?
The 36-year-old personality-driven and non-traditional Al Davis, of course.
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