Raiders owner Al Davis dead at 82

#1

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/70743 ... is-dies-82

Raiders owner Al Davis, whose NFL legend as a pioneering rebel began 60 years ago as an assistant with the Baltimore Colts and was punctuated with a 1992 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction in Canton, has died at 82.

The team's website released the news, posting a simple tribute with his name in large silver letters above "July 4, 1929-October 8, 2011."

The Raiders said the team will issue a statement later Saturday. No cause of death was released.

Davis died in his home in Oakland on Saturday morning. T

here will be a moment of silence to honor Davis at all NFL games this weekend, the NFL said in a memo.

"Al Davis' passion for football and his influence on the game were extraordinary," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement tweeted by spokesman Greg Aiello. "He defined the Raiders and contributed to pro football at every level. The respect he commanded was evident in the way that people listened carefully every time he spoke."

It was Davis' willingness to buck the establishment that helped turn the NFL into THE establishment in sports -- the most successful sports league in American history.

Rest in peace.