Hall of Fame Professional Football Team Owner, Coach, Administrator. From 1966 until his death, he was general partner advancing to principal owner/general manager of the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. Raised in Brooklyn, New York, he attended Wittenberg College and Syracuse University (the latter from where he attained his degree in English). Upon graduation, he launched his coaching career, initially as an assistant at Adelphi College, followed by a head coaching position at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, while serving with the US Army. Davis' first experience in the professional ranks was serving as a scout with the Baltimore Colts, before he returned to the collegiate level, as an assistant at Citadel and Southern California. In 1960 he joined the newly-formed American Football League, as an ends coach under Sid Gillman with the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers and in 1963 was named head coach of the Oakland Raiders. In three years at that capacity (1963 to 1965), he compiled a 23 win 16 loss and 3 tie record, earning AFL Coach of the Year honors in 1963, with a 10 win 4 loss record that season. He served as commissioner of the AFL in 1966 and enforced a merger with the NFL which changed the landscape of professional football. Davis returned to Oakland shortly thereafter, as the Raiders' general partner and within a year they captured their first league title (1967), culminating with an appearance in the World Championship Game (Super Bowl II) on January 14th, 1968. His tenure saw the Raiders rise to one of the most competitive teams in the NFL during the 1970s, as they captured their first Super Bowl title (XI in 1977) under John Madden, followed by two more Super Bowl victories (XV in 1981 and XVIII in 1984, the latter as the Los Angeles Raiders). Their last Super Bowl appearance to date was XXXVII in 2003. Davis was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.