NAME: Allen Davis
BORN: July 4, 1929, in Brockton, Mass.
DIED: Oct. 8, 2011.
AWARDS: AFL’s Coach of the Year in 1963.
HONORS: Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
_Hired as coach and general manager of the AFL’s Oakland Raiders in January 1963. At 33, he was the youngest person in pro football history to hold those positions.
_Compiled 23-16-3 record in three years as coach.
_Appointed American Football League commissioner in April 1966. Resigned as commissioner six weeks after the AFL and NFL agree to an alliance that includes common draft and championship game. Davis rejoined Raiders as managing general partner.
RAIDERS
_From 1967 to 1985 the team won 13 division championships, one AFL championship (1967), three Super Bowls (1977, 1981 and 1984) and made 15 playoff appearances.
_Won AFC championship in 2002.
_One of two teams to play in the Super Bowl in four different decades, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
OWNERSHIP
_1966 _ Purchased 10 percent stake in the Raiders and returned to his old club as one of three general partners along with Wayne Valley and Ed McGah. He was named head of football operations.
_1972 _ Revised partnership agreement made him the new managing general partner, with near-absolute control over team operations. McGah signed the agreement and Valley sued to overturn the agreement, but was unsuccessful. Valley sold his interest in 1976.
_2005 _ Acquired majority interest in the Raiders, when he bought the shares held by McGah’s family.
_2007 _ Sold a minority stake in the Raiders for $150 million.
LAWSUITS
_1980 _ Attempted to move the Raiders to Los Angeles but was blocked by a court injunction. Davis filed an anti-trust lawsuit against the NFL. In June 1982 a federal district court ruled in Davis’ favor and the team officially relocated to Los Angeles for the 1982 NFL season.
_1986 _ United States Football League filed its antitrust suit agiant the NFL. Davis was the only NFL owner who sided with the USFL.
_1995 _ Moved the team back to Oakland. Davis then sued the NFL, contending the league sabotaged the team’s effort to build a stadium at Hollywood Park in Inglewood by not doing enough to help the team move from the antiquated Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to a new stadium complete with luxury suites. The NFL won a 9-3 verdict in 2001, but a new trial was awarded amid accusations that one juror was biased against the team and Davis, and that another juror committed misconduct. A state appeals court later overturned that decision. The case was thrown out in 2007 by the California Supreme Court.
_ mid-1990s _ Davis sued the NFL on behalf of the Raiders, saying the Raiders had exclusive rights to the Los Angeles market, even though the Raiders were in Oakland. Davis and the Raiders lost the lawsuit.
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