F. WAYNE VALLEY, 72, ONE OF RAIDERS' FOUNDERS HE WAS INSPIRATION BEHIND THE OAKLAND COLISEUM:- Sunday, October 5, 1986
F. Wayne Valley, one of the founders of the Oakland Raiders, the inspiration behind creation of the Oakland Coliseum and a pioneer in the old American Football League, has died of cancer. He was 72.
Valley had been hospitalized for about seven weeks at St. Mary's Hospital in San Francisco with a "fast-moving cancer," said Gladys Valley, his wife of 45 years. He died Thursday at their Piedmont home.
"He came home Wednesday and was happy to get out of the hospital," Mrs. Valley said. "He slowly sank and went to sleep very quietly. One of the last things he said to me was, 'I should have had 10 years left.' "
A home builder by trade whose companies constructed more than 25,000 homes in California alone, Valley used his considerable wealth to bring professional football to Oakland.
He was a major contributor to the Wayne Valley Memorial Gymnasium at Bellarmine College Preparatory in Santa Clara. The gym was dedicated in 1977 in memory of his son, a 1961 Bellarmine graduate and outstanding athlete who died in a swimming accident as he was about to graduate from the University of Oregon.
Valley was one of the eight men who founded the Raiders in 1959. He won control of the organization during the young team's 1960 season by the flip of a coin.
A fullback at Oregon State University in the 1930s, Valley had a sense of fair play, a gruff manner and a big heart that endeared him to those who knew him. ''He was a great man, a real man's man," said Seattle Seahawks head coach Chuck Knox, who had been a close personal friend of Valley's since the early days of the AFL.
It was Valley who coined the term "The Foolish Club," referring to a group of millionaire football lovers -- including himself -- who banded together in the late 1950s to form the AFL. He served as league president in 1962 and his continual encouragement helped keep the league alive until it merged with the National Football League in 1968.
''Here is a guy who put up his money to start a football league -- they were called the Foolish Club because that's how they were thought of at the time -- but he made it possible for a lot of players and coaches, including me, to get where they are today," said former Raiders coach John Madden.
Valley was "one of the most tenacious pioneers in the formation of the American Football League," NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle said upon learning of his death.
Valley weathered staggering financial losses but persevered despite the fact that the team played in San Francisco because it had no stadium of its own. He became the driving force behind the decision to construct the Oakland Coliseum. He remained as managing general partner of the Raiders until 1976, when he sold his interest in the team after a bitter court fight with current owner Al Davis, who moved the franchise to Los Angeles in 1980.
Valley hired Davis as a coach and general manager in 1963 and made him a part owner of the Raiders just after the AFL- NFL merger.
Valley later said his decision to hire Davis "was the only mistake I've made in character judgment on a human being in my life."
He made a serious attempt to buy the San Francisco 49ers after he left the Raiders, but the deal fell through.
Valley is survived by his wife; daughters Tamara and Sonya; a son, Michael; and seven grandchildren.
A rosary is scheduled for 8 p.m. Monday at Corpus Christi Church in Piedmont. Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the church, with burial following at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Hayward.
F. Wayne Valley, one of the founders of the Oakland Raiders, the inspiration behind creation of the Oakland Coliseum and a pioneer in the old American Football League, has died of cancer. He was 72.
Valley had been hospitalized for about seven weeks at St. Mary's Hospital in San Francisco with a "fast-moving cancer," said Gladys Valley, his wife of 45 years. He died Thursday at their Piedmont home.
"He came home Wednesday and was happy to get out of the hospital," Mrs. Valley said. "He slowly sank and went to sleep very quietly. One of the last things he said to me was, 'I should have had 10 years left.' "
A home builder by trade whose companies constructed more than 25,000 homes in California alone, Valley used his considerable wealth to bring professional football to Oakland.
He was a major contributor to the Wayne Valley Memorial Gymnasium at Bellarmine College Preparatory in Santa Clara. The gym was dedicated in 1977 in memory of his son, a 1961 Bellarmine graduate and outstanding athlete who died in a swimming accident as he was about to graduate from the University of Oregon.
Valley was one of the eight men who founded the Raiders in 1959. He won control of the organization during the young team's 1960 season by the flip of a coin.
A fullback at Oregon State University in the 1930s, Valley had a sense of fair play, a gruff manner and a big heart that endeared him to those who knew him. ''He was a great man, a real man's man," said Seattle Seahawks head coach Chuck Knox, who had been a close personal friend of Valley's since the early days of the AFL.
It was Valley who coined the term "The Foolish Club," referring to a group of millionaire football lovers -- including himself -- who banded together in the late 1950s to form the AFL. He served as league president in 1962 and his continual encouragement helped keep the league alive until it merged with the National Football League in 1968.
''Here is a guy who put up his money to start a football league -- they were called the Foolish Club because that's how they were thought of at the time -- but he made it possible for a lot of players and coaches, including me, to get where they are today," said former Raiders coach John Madden.
Valley was "one of the most tenacious pioneers in the formation of the American Football League," NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle said upon learning of his death.
Valley weathered staggering financial losses but persevered despite the fact that the team played in San Francisco because it had no stadium of its own. He became the driving force behind the decision to construct the Oakland Coliseum. He remained as managing general partner of the Raiders until 1976, when he sold his interest in the team after a bitter court fight with current owner Al Davis, who moved the franchise to Los Angeles in 1980.
Valley hired Davis as a coach and general manager in 1963 and made him a part owner of the Raiders just after the AFL- NFL merger.
Valley later said his decision to hire Davis "was the only mistake I've made in character judgment on a human being in my life."
He made a serious attempt to buy the San Francisco 49ers after he left the Raiders, but the deal fell through.
Valley is survived by his wife; daughters Tamara and Sonya; a son, Michael; and seven grandchildren.
A rosary is scheduled for 8 p.m. Monday at Corpus Christi Church in Piedmont. Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the church, with burial following at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Hayward.
F. WAYNE VALLEY, 72, ONE OF RAIDERS' FOUNDERS HE WAS INSPIRATION BEHIND THE OAKLAND COLISEUM:- Sunday, October 5, 1986
F. Wayne Valley, one of the founders of the Oakland Raiders, the inspiration behind creation of the Oakland Coliseum and a pioneer in the old American Football League, has died of cancer. He was 72.
Valley had been hospitalized for about seven weeks at St. Mary's Hospital in San Francisco with a "fast-moving cancer," said Gladys Valley, his wife of 45 years. He died Thursday at their Piedmont home.
"He came home Wednesday and was happy to get out of the hospital," Mrs. Valley said. "He slowly sank and went to sleep very quietly. One of the last things he said to me was, 'I should have had 10 years left.' "
A home builder by trade whose companies constructed more than 25,000 homes in California alone, Valley used his considerable wealth to bring professional football to Oakland.
He was a major contributor to the Wayne Valley Memorial Gymnasium at Bellarmine College Preparatory in Santa Clara. The gym was dedicated in 1977 in memory of his son, a 1961 Bellarmine graduate and outstanding athlete who died in a swimming accident as he was about to graduate from the University of Oregon.
Valley was one of the eight men who founded the Raiders in 1959. He won control of the organization during the young team's 1960 season by the flip of a coin.
A fullback at Oregon State University in the 1930s, Valley had a sense of fair play, a gruff manner and a big heart that endeared him to those who knew him. ''He was a great man, a real man's man," said Seattle Seahawks head coach Chuck Knox, who had been a close personal friend of Valley's since the early days of the AFL.
It was Valley who coined the term "The Foolish Club," referring to a group of millionaire football lovers -- including himself -- who banded together in the late 1950s to form the AFL. He served as league president in 1962 and his continual encouragement helped keep the league alive until it merged with the National Football League in 1968.
''Here is a guy who put up his money to start a football league -- they were called the Foolish Club because that's how they were thought of at the time -- but he made it possible for a lot of players and coaches, including me, to get where they are today," said former Raiders coach John Madden.
Valley was "one of the most tenacious pioneers in the formation of the American Football League," NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle said upon learning of his death.
Valley weathered staggering financial losses but persevered despite the fact that the team played in San Francisco because it had no stadium of its own. He became the driving force behind the decision to construct the Oakland Coliseum. He remained as managing general partner of the Raiders until 1976, when he sold his interest in the team after a bitter court fight with current owner Al Davis, who moved the franchise to Los Angeles in 1980.
Valley hired Davis as a coach and general manager in 1963 and made him a part owner of the Raiders just after the AFL- NFL merger.
Valley later said his decision to hire Davis "was the only mistake I've made in character judgment on a human being in my life."
He made a serious attempt to buy the San Francisco 49ers after he left the Raiders, but the deal fell through.
Valley is survived by his wife; daughters Tamara and Sonya; a son, Michael; and seven grandchildren.
A rosary is scheduled for 8 p.m. Monday at Corpus Christi Church in Piedmont. Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the church, with burial following at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Hayward.
F. Wayne Valley, one of the founders of the Oakland Raiders, the inspiration behind creation of the Oakland Coliseum and a pioneer in the old American Football League, has died of cancer. He was 72.
Valley had been hospitalized for about seven weeks at St. Mary's Hospital in San Francisco with a "fast-moving cancer," said Gladys Valley, his wife of 45 years. He died Thursday at their Piedmont home.
"He came home Wednesday and was happy to get out of the hospital," Mrs. Valley said. "He slowly sank and went to sleep very quietly. One of the last things he said to me was, 'I should have had 10 years left.' "
A home builder by trade whose companies constructed more than 25,000 homes in California alone, Valley used his considerable wealth to bring professional football to Oakland.
He was a major contributor to the Wayne Valley Memorial Gymnasium at Bellarmine College Preparatory in Santa Clara. The gym was dedicated in 1977 in memory of his son, a 1961 Bellarmine graduate and outstanding athlete who died in a swimming accident as he was about to graduate from the University of Oregon.
Valley was one of the eight men who founded the Raiders in 1959. He won control of the organization during the young team's 1960 season by the flip of a coin.
A fullback at Oregon State University in the 1930s, Valley had a sense of fair play, a gruff manner and a big heart that endeared him to those who knew him. ''He was a great man, a real man's man," said Seattle Seahawks head coach Chuck Knox, who had been a close personal friend of Valley's since the early days of the AFL.
It was Valley who coined the term "The Foolish Club," referring to a group of millionaire football lovers -- including himself -- who banded together in the late 1950s to form the AFL. He served as league president in 1962 and his continual encouragement helped keep the league alive until it merged with the National Football League in 1968.
''Here is a guy who put up his money to start a football league -- they were called the Foolish Club because that's how they were thought of at the time -- but he made it possible for a lot of players and coaches, including me, to get where they are today," said former Raiders coach John Madden.
Valley was "one of the most tenacious pioneers in the formation of the American Football League," NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle said upon learning of his death.
Valley weathered staggering financial losses but persevered despite the fact that the team played in San Francisco because it had no stadium of its own. He became the driving force behind the decision to construct the Oakland Coliseum. He remained as managing general partner of the Raiders until 1976, when he sold his interest in the team after a bitter court fight with current owner Al Davis, who moved the franchise to Los Angeles in 1980.
Valley hired Davis as a coach and general manager in 1963 and made him a part owner of the Raiders just after the AFL- NFL merger.
Valley later said his decision to hire Davis "was the only mistake I've made in character judgment on a human being in my life."
He made a serious attempt to buy the San Francisco 49ers after he left the Raiders, but the deal fell through.
Valley is survived by his wife; daughters Tamara and Sonya; a son, Michael; and seven grandchildren.
A rosary is scheduled for 8 p.m. Monday at Corpus Christi Church in Piedmont. Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the church, with burial following at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Hayward.
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