"Just Win, Baby!"

The most memorable quote from iconic Al Davis who passed away today. You can say a lot of the disfunctional Raider organization the last few years and the tacky wardrobe Davis wore, but in the end this guy was one of the most influential people in the history of the NFL. When you think of the Raiders' teams in the 70s and 80s they were ahead of their time in the way they stretched the football field offensively. It seems like every NFL team opens it up now and stretches the field. The Raiders' offenses of the 70s and 80s would do very well in today's NFL.

When a player became a Raider, they were a Raider for life. Al Davis took care of his Raiders, especially if they came across tough times. When you see today's owners or today's athletes you learn to appreciate a person like Al Davis. There's a more important meaning of what it is to be a man when you hear some stories of Davis. He was a man of his word who was fiercly passionate and loyal to his players, family and friends. In the 1970s Davis' wife suffered a serious heart attack. He didn't just visit her. He moved into the hospital room with her.

There are a lot of sport's quotes that are said back and forth. There is no question the most often heard quote from my experiences is:

"Just win baby!"

Davis was a big results guy. He didn't want to hear excuses. He just wanted results. He just wanted to win, baby.

Al Davis, the iconic football legend, football pioneer and most important, Al Davis THE MAN, dead at the age of 82.