Black Knight: Al Davis and His Raiders

Davis, who joined the then-Oakland Raiders in 1963 and is now the managing general partner of the Los Angeles Raiders, came to professional football with experience as a manager and coach of nonprofessional teams. This Brooklyn native from a well-to-do family is reputed to be aggressive, ruthless and crafty. Becoming president of the American Football League in 1966 (just before the merger with the NFL) Davis stirred up further controversy when in 1982 he moved the Raiders from the Bay Area to Tinseltown over the unanimous opposition of his fellow owners. Freelance sportswriter Simmons deftly depicts Davis in a book otherwise burdened with tedious recaps of every Raider game of the past three decades. Photos not seen by PW. (Dec.)