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Al Davis, the long-time owner of the Raiders whose mantra was "just win, baby," has died.
An obituary in the Associated Press details the Raiders' glory years, eventual decline and how Davis shook up the football establishment:
Until the decline of the Raiders into a perennial loser in the first decade of the 21st century he was a winner, the man who as a coach, then owner-general manager-de facto coach, established what he called "the team of the decades" based on another slogan: "commitment to excellence." And the Raiders were excellent, winning three Super Bowls during the 1970s and 1980s and contending almost every other season - an organization filled with castoffs and troublemakers who turned into trouble for opponents.
It also mentions an expensive lesson that Irwindale learned when it was trying to lure Davis to Irwindale with a plan to build a stadium in its city limits. The city gave the Raiders $10 million in 1988, but environmental issues, financing problems and regional opposition never allowed the plan to get off the ground. The deposit was nonrefundable, and Irwindale lost every penny.
Here's a video of a pep talk from Davis to his team:
