Al Davis, and His Unfulfilled Longtime Goal

Before his death, Al Davis was all in to accomplish his lifelong goal; he desired to put not just another Raider into the Hall of Fame, but the great speedster that helped change the game, wide receiver Cliff Branch.

The Raiders will finally have Tom Flores enriched in the Hall of Fame later this year and Charles Woodson. But still, no Branch.

Woodson made it in his first year of eligibility, but it took an army of men to advocate Flores into the Hall of Fame.

As we turn the page to the next chapter of players who have the resume for enshrinement into the Hall of Fame, we will need more than an army of advocates to get them in.

Recently, Hall of Fame writer and Hall of Fame voter Rick Gosselin was a guest on the "Pritch & Clay" morning show. Co-hosting was his longtime friend Hondo Carpenter, Editor and Publisher of Sports Illustrated's Raider Maven. While on Raider Nation Radio (LINK TO LISTEN LIVE), Gosselin told us one of his memorable stories of the late Raiders owner.

"The Raiders were playing in LA at this time, and they were in El Segundo, and their office was in an old school, and ironically it was the same school George Brett attended, he's the great Royals third baseman. Al would just bend my ear about – 'We've got to get Clifford in the Hall of Fame,' and every time I see him there was, 'We got to get Clifford in the Hall of Fame,' Cliff Branch, honestly," Gosselin said about how often Davis would bring up the conversation of putting Branch into the Hall of Fame.

Gosselin serves as a writer for Sports Illustrated, Talk of Fame Network. He has been covering the NFL for nearly 50 years. Gosselin is well known and highly respected for his work across the league, including The Dallas Morning News, covering the Cowboys since 1990. He has appeared in many major publications. He is the recipient of the 2004 McCann Award winner given in recognition of long and distinguished reporting in pro football. Author of "Goodfellows: the Champions of St. Ambrose." and has been a Hall of Fame voter for 25 years.

Over the years, we've seen how complicated it has become to get into the HOF, seeing it with Raiders Head Coach Tom Flores, Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson, and Green Packers legendary Jerry Kramer, among others. It has taken this great honor to the point where writers or a group of writers need to get together to advocate for a player or coach.

In today's football world, you need someone by your side to get into the HOF.

"I think that's been going on for quite some time, and I've been on the HOF committee for 25 years. I think it's getting so political, where campaigns are mounted," Gosselin added on one of the issues of nominating a member.

"And I think it just puzzled him (Davis) why Branch was never discussed, every other Raider was going in. Branch never came up and he insisted Branch was the guy who made the whole thing go. He's the guy who made (Ken) Stabler a Hall of Famer, he's the guy who made (Fred) Biletnikoff a Hall of Famer," Gosselin recalls.

Putting stats on the side for this debate, Branch changed the game, and from his "speed kills" playing style, and yet we see his legacy continue to evolve on the field today.

There might be too many Raiders in the HOF, there might be Raider fatigue, just as how there was Steelers and Packers fatigue.

Perhaps the most significant debate was Drew Pearson over Cliff Branch; Pearson made the ALL-DECADE team, and Branch did not, understandable. The HOF could not put Branch before Pierson, but now that Pierson is in, it opens the door to Branch.

Since 2000, the Raiders have had four senior candidates selected into the HOF, while the Colts, Chargers, Patriots, Saints, and Bengals have had zero senior candidates make it into the HOF.

Speaking about the NFL Hall of Fame, we know the urgency for senior candidates to be inducted early. Branch might not be with us anymore, but he will continue to be a factor in the future as he was on the field for a spot in the Hall of Fame.

Tell us what you think in the comment section below and please make sure you like our Facebook Page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.

Want the latest breaking Las Vegas Raiders news delivered straight to your email for FREE? Sign up for the DAILY Raiders Nation newsletter when you CLICK THE FOLLOW button on the main page. Don't miss any of the latest up to the second updates for your Las Vegas Raiders when you follow on Twitter @HondoCarpenter