Inside The Pocket #001: Al Davis & The Oakland Raiders

Al Davis did it all. Scout, Coach, Owner, Commissioner. Despite the fact he didn’t play a snap of football at college, through his trademark hustle he became the youngest head coach of the pre-Super Bowl era at just 34. Davis moulded the Raiders in his own image, a buccaneering swagger and siege mentality, a commitment to excellence and a ‘just win baby’ mantra. And win they did, 17 division titles, one AFL Championship and three Super Bowls.

Controversy followed him wherever he went, whether he was waging war with the NFL as commissioner of the AFL, benching MVP running back Marcus Allen over a contract dispute or his habit of drafting players way higher than the consensus. But Davis was complex, difficult to pigeonhole. In a sport ran by rich, white conservatives, the Raiders owner championed diversity, thoroughly committed to social justice and equal opportunity. He was the first man to draft a black quarterback in the first round (Eldridge Dickey), the first to start a Hispanic quarterback (Tom Flores), the first to hire both a minority head coach (Flores) and black head coach (Art Shell) as well as the first to appoint a female chief executive (Amy Trask).

Al Davis was a trailblazer, a one off, a man who marched to the beat of his own drum and didn’t care if you objected to the rhythm. There won’t be anyone quite like him again.