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Showing posts with the label Obituaries

Al Davis: Our Football Father 1929-2011

Where would the NFL be today without Al Davis? The iconic owner of our beloved Raiders passed away today at the age of 82. The simple answer is that it wouldn't be the same. Al Davis shaped football and Al Davis shaped me. I'd exhaust myself trying to list all his accomplishments and there are so many great stories to tell about Al Davis. I'll leave that for another day. Al Davis was one of the founding fathers of the modern NFL. Davis pioneered the vertical passing game and bump and run coverage among other things. Fathers exist on this earth to show us the path and my father put me in Raiders gear from birth. It has become part of who I am. Maybe it's an unhealthy love affair, but I don't care. I never met Al Davis, but he taught me many things. Be great and don't settle for less. Maybe that sounds simple enough, but Al Davis lived it. Davis worked tirelessly until his very last day trying to make his team great. His motto: "Just Win, Baby" and ...

RIP Dr. Death: Skip Thomas Dies

Alonzo "Skip" Thomas known best by his nickname Doctor Death passed away from a heart attack today. He was 61. Thomas had back-to-back six interception seasons in 1974 and 1975 and his fierce tackling earned him his nickname. He had 17 career interceptions and his career was entirely with the Oakland Raiders. My prayers go out to his family and friends. Skip Thomas Video Tribute