Sep 21, 2020; Paradise, Nevada, USA; A logo to remember Al Davis is displayed on the video board before a NFL game between the New Orleans Saints and Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Al Davis Would Be Proud of the Raiders' Progress

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Ezekiel Trezevant | Last updated Jul 12, 2025 12:00 PM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders are one of the most storied franchises in all of sports. That is the case due to the many years of hard work by the late, great Al Davis. It is impossible to tell the history of the National Football League without mentioning Davis and his accomplishments.

Davis was a trailblazer in more ways than one, and the impact of the moves that Davis made decades ago is still being felt to this day. However, Davis likely never imagined Las Vegas would one day be the Raiders' home.

On what would have been his father's 96th birthday, Mark Davis took a look back at some of his fondest memories with his father. Their times in training camp stick out to him the most.

“He loved Las Vegas. He loved sitting out in the sun. He’d bring his weights with him, his barbell and weights, because they didn’t have gyms in the hotels back then. That’s how he’d travel. He’d work out. Relax. He and my mom would go to a nice dinner and see a show. All right before training camp. It was a great time. My dad was treated very nicely by the people," Davis said.

“Las Vegas was always the entertainment capital of the world. Now, it’s the sports and entertainment capital. And being part of that is really, it’s fun to be a part of that. It’s two different eras of Las Vegas.”

Years after his death, Davis still receives the utmost respect from players and coaches who worked for him or competed against him. Last offseason, Colorado Buffaloes Head Coach Deion Sanders praised Davis' presence, among other things.

"Legend. Shoot, he was one of the few in the game that, from the opposing team, you just wanted to go shake his hand. You wanted to get up close to see his drip. Al was fly," Sanders said.

"Like, Al was one of a kind, he was a straight-shooter, he was awesome, he was before his time, innovative, creative, he was that dude. So, I always wanted -- I mean, I think every player who played in the league, at that point in time, wanted to be a Raider in some form or fashion. And I did. And that was close."

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This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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