Al Davis, maverick owner of Oakland Raiders, dies

Advertisement

(JTA) — Al Davis, the maverick owner of the Oakland Raiders, has died.

Davis, who served as coach and general manager of the NFL team and later became its principal owner, died at his home in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday — Yom Kippur — according to the team’s website. He was 82.

Davis, who was Jewish, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.

He was involved in several lawsuits against the National Football League and had a longtime feud with its late commissioner, Pete Rozelle. Davis won a lawsuit allowing him to move the Raiders to Los Angeles in 1982, then he returned the team to Northern California 12 years later.

Davis was the commissioner of the American Football League but resigned after the AFL and the NFL announced their merger in the late 1960s.

The Massachusetts native grew up in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, N.Y.
 

Recommended from JTA

Advertisement