AL Davis reflections The Breeze Vol 1 No 21

Sometimes the best laid plans do not always work out . Such is the case here as my intent was to cover WSU and UCLA today. in this case,  I must call an editorial audible in relation to the Death of Mr. Al Davis. I am going to give you my  perspective as a non fan of the Raider Nation. Back in the late 1970,s and early 80.s  when Los Angeles had a team the Rams. I grew up in the era where Merlin Olsen Jack Youngblood, Pat Haden and others were losing games in the NFC Championship to Roger Stabach Tony Hill and Drew Pearson. The Raiders were always the other team on a Sunday. This week with the Loss of Technology innovator Steve Jobs. The NFL has lost a game innovator in Mr. Davis. The architect of the Raider mystique. Intimidating and by far the most penalized team in the leauge. Mr. Davis a key figure in the AFL prior to the 1970 merger always seemed to get retread players on the  back end of there athletic prime. Thememories of Upshaw ,Shell, Villapiano,Casper , Branch and Van Eagan are forever etched in my mind especially as it relates to Monday Night Football. The Raiders were must see TV in those days as Meridith , Cosell, and Gifford were in the both in those  days. The Raiders were  winners in 1981,1984  prime years for me as  a young football fan. The other side of Al  Davis was Al Davis the litigation Specialist. Pete Rozelle, the then commissioner, seemed to be enemies in court to break leases and move teams. He won in most of those battles as well. Mr. Davis the innovator can be credited with creating a stretch rhe field and go vertical mentality. Likely due to former AFL Coach Sid Gilman and WR Lance Alworth of the then Los Angeles Chargers. To his credit he Hired the first Black Head Coach Art Shell,1989-94 and Tom Flores the first Hispanic Head coach.  Mr. Davis coached the OL at USC in 1959 ad recruited the first Black QB  Willie Wood in the History of the School. Eldrige Dickey was drafted in 1968 as the 25th Pick in the 1968 draft. It should be noted that Ken Stabler was drafted out of Alabama in the Second round of that draft. Here is more on Eldridge Dickey http://www.bqb-site.com/dickey.htm. Love him or hate him he took the road less traveled. Here is some Audio from the previously mentioned Flores and other Raiders of that era. I am Mark Alan Janisch WWS founder and Senior writer. Twitter@wideworldofspor

http://siriusxmsports.posterous.com/ted-hendricks-hall-of-fame-raiders-linebacker  Ted Hendricks
http://siriusxmsports.posterous.com/tom-flores-former-raiders-qb-head-coach-joine Tom Flores
http://siriusxmsports.posterous.com/jim-plunkett-former-raiders-qb-joined-nfl-rad Jim Plunkett