Dec 27, 2013; Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders former cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha announces his retirement at press conference at Oakland Raiders Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Former All-Pro Reflects on Raiders, Al Davis

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Michael Canelo | Last updated Aug 27, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The 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 built the Raiders from the bottom up. And that is why they are in the position they are today. It is amazing to see how the Raiders have come along.

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. Davis built a legacy with his organization, and he wanted to have the best coaches and players. That is what made the Raiders so successful in the 1970s and 1980s.

Nnamdi Asomugha

Al Davis always had his way of picking the players he wanted to go after. Especially in the draft. One great Raider player that Davis took came in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Davis and the Raiders took cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. Asomugha played with the Silver and Black for eight seasons. He was an All-Pro in two of those seasons and a Pro Bowler three times with the Raiders.

Asomugha talked about his time with the Raiders and late great Raiders owner Al Davis.

"Al, as we would walk through ... you knew when he was coming down the hall," said Asomugha on The Rich Eisen Show. "Guys would turn their different ways, and people were going into doors that were not even to anything."

"Eventually, when you realize that he is a real person, you stop fearing him. There was a point in my second year when he pulled me to the side and we started talking, and then for the rest of my time in Oakland, he and I would meet every couple of weeks on a Monday, we would meet in his office for about 10-15 minutes."

"He was so smart, you could not really pick his brain; he was always picking yours. Even if you did not think he was ... He wanted to know what I know about the game of football."