It’s easy for me to be negative about Davis, not as easy to be positive. Trying to think positively I remembered the things Bill Walsh used to tell me about Al. Bill admired Al. I’m not sure he liked Al. Two massive egos in collision, two men wanting to be the face of football in the Bay Area. I could be wrong.

In 1992, when I was writing my book on Bill’s return to Stanford, Bill asked if I knew Al and I said not really — the Raiders had been in L.A. much of my writing career. Bill said that was too bad. He said I would have found Al fascinating.

Well, he sure was right about that.

Bill also told me all his fundamental knowledge about football came from Al and the Raiders when he coached there one season under John Rauch. Rauch was teaching pure Al Davis while Davis was commissioner of the old AFL. Bill gave Al this credit. And I have to remind myself he did.

I’m going to quote a little from my book on Walsh to give you an idea of what Al meant to Bill and how Bill credited him:

“For a while, Walsh stayed on at Stanford (1966) to coach spring ball and help with recruiting. So he’d work all day at Stanford, get in his car, and drive to Oakland, where he worked all night with John Rauch and the Raiders.

“It was then Walsh acquired the core of his football knowledge, even though he only stayed one season. Raiders football was based on the theories of the legendary Sid Gillman who, Walsh says, was ‘Star Wars compared to everyone else in football.’ Al Davis had taken Gillman one step further. And here was Walsh, who had never played as a professional, had never been exposed to football at this level, drinking in this knowledge.

“Walsh had been used to systems that designed four pass plays for the halfback. The Raiders had twenty. The Raiders were one of the first teams to use minicamps to refine players’ skills. Walsh would work late into the night with the Raiders and report to Stanford by 8:00 a.m. the next day. This was the most creative period of his life, but Geri Walsh (Bill’s wife) couldn’t take this new arrangement. With the Raiders, Walsh was on call every minute. He was married to football, not to her, and he realized if he wanted to preserve his family he had to get out.”

End of quote. Walsh got out by coaching the semipro San Jose Apaches of the Continental League. The Raiders provided Bill with the Apaches’ uniforms.

– Lowell

Not so O,

Davis is the one who actually gave Walsh his first pro gig in 1966 as the Raiders’ running backs coach, not Chargers.

it’s been a pleasure.

I want to legalize pot, not Crack!!

What film??!!

you must be on some drug$ if you can’t realize the talent that Danny Southwick has …

put on the film. his work speaks for itself

Chuck Norris!!

LMAO