AL DAVIS
situation, as they want to be done unto. You have to treat them the way they want to be treated.” That way of treating people led friends and former players to remember Davis as the epitome of loyalty. And in turn, he showed the rest of the NFL how to treat former players. Of all the awards he received, the recognition from men that played the game meant the most to Davis. In 1997, the NFL Alumni inducted Davis into the Order of the Leather Helmet, a lifetime- achievement award. Six years earlier, the NFL Players Association honored Davis with its inaugural Retired Players Award of Excellence, citing the care he had shown players long after they retired. “I feel we’re one of the last bastions of hope, as a team image, as a team organization,” Davis explained. “I don’t want to give that up with the Raiders. We believe in tradition. We believe in the glory. We believe in the debt we owe to our players from the past.” No question, the way Davis treated people led to a record nine Hall of Famers asking him to present them in Canton, Ohio, at their induction ceremonies, an exceptional fact that exists nowhere else in sports, and speaks volumes of Davis’ compassion for others. In 1992, Davis earned his own enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and for the first time stood at the familiar podium after someone else – his most successful Raiders coach, Madden – had introduced him. Davis took the opportunity to look back on the team that mirrored his life. “Enshrinement is a reflection of a life’s work, a reflection of a love affair with the greatest game the world has ever known. This honor is a testament to a great organization, and to all the capable people that have poured their talent and enthusiasm and loyalty into the greatness of the Raiders, and the Raiders legend and mystique.”
With the Chargers, Davis teamed with Gillman to lead the fight for equality. In addition to refusing to stay at segregated team hotels, the team, inspired by Davis, recruited players from black programs, creating what Eddie Robinson called a new day for players of color and giving them a sense of belonging in the American Football League. Later that decade, Davis brought to the Raiders guard Gene Upshaw and tackle Art Shell, eventual Hall of Famers. Upshaw and Shell joked that a convention of pro football’s black offensive linemen could be held in a phone booth. But Davis gave them an opportunity, and Upshaw said he never experienced racism on the Raiders because Davis would never tolerate it. And neither would Davis tolerate discrimination at the game’s most important position. A year after Upshaw as a rookie helped the Raiders to an AFL championship, Davis in 1968 made Eldridge Dickey the first African- American quarterback ever selected in the first round. Again, Davis cared about one thing: Winning. “We called it an untapped reservoir,” Davis recalled. “We wanted to win. We wanted the players. We weren’t interested in who they were, or exactly where they came from. I’ve always said, it’s not important to be consistent; it’s important to be right. It was done because it was right and fair, and to help the team win, and continue to win. “The Raiders did become a proving ground for great minority players. I think it was an evolution, an evolution of equity and fairness, and we hope that’s one legacy we leave.” Another legacy Davis left was hiring in 1989 the NFL’s first African- American head coach, Shell. Davis told Shell the reason he hired him was not because he was black, but because he was the best available candidate for the job, and because he was a Raider. Upon winning his coaching debut, Shell had to remind reporters that he was not the game’s first minority head coach. A decade before, Davis had hired Tom Flores to lead the Raiders to two Super Bowl victories. Additionally, Davis later made Amy Trask the NFL’s To Davis, shattering barriers wasn’t only about race or gender. He defined it on a larger scale, by creating an environment that allowed any individual the chance to succeed, and in the process fostered a unique brotherhood. “The fire that burns brightest in me,” Davis said, “and the fire that burns brightest in this organization is the will to win.” That philosophy evolved the Raiders’ locker room into an us-versus- them mentality, a group that like its owner valued being feared more than respected. Davis brought in mavericks and molded them into champions, a group of rugged and colorful individualists that carried Davis’ torch with swagger and intimidation. first female chief executive. THE RAIDER MYSTIQUE Many of the players that won for the Raiders were rejected by other teams. But Davis did not treat them like misfits. He treated them like men, and those men brought him three Super Bowl titles and dominated the league like no other team. “We may take a player in who doesn’t have good social habits, or has been a failure somewhere else,” Davis explained. “But it’s predicated on bringing them into an environment, that can inspire them the will to do great, and they have done great.” A BELIEF IN HOW TO TREAT PEOPLE Part of Davis’ ability to acquire the right players and put them in an environment that bred success was his belief in how to deal with people. Davis always said that the Golden Rule was not good enough. “When you have to lead men, you don’t do unto others as you would have others do unto you,” Davis said. “You do unto them, in a paramilitary
Las Vegas Raiders 2022
13
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online