"On behalf of the William Clay Ford family and the entire Detroit Lions organization, we would like to offer our most sincere condolences to the family of Al Davis and to the Oakland Raiders organization. Mr. Davis' contributions to the game of football since the days of the American Football League have been transformational and profound. His impact and his legacy will be felt in perpetuity."
HEAD COACH JIM SCHWARTZ
“When you talk about important people in the history of professional football – I don’t want to say NFL, because it’s also the AFL – he’s got to be included in that group. It’s a sad day for the NFL (and) for football fans when Al Davis isn’t with us anymore. He did everything: personnel scout, general manager, assistant coach, head coach, team owner; I don’t know if there’s anybody else that can state claim to have done all those things and he knew every aspect of the game.”
LIONS ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR GUNTHER CUNNINGHAM
Cunningham was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Raiders from 1991-94“I learned a lot from Al Davis. I think I kind of became the coach I became in the League, demanding and detailed-oriented, because of what I learned all that from Al.
“He put a mark on the League early on with his great Raiders teams. Al did the league a favor by being so competitive. He was so instrumental in making the NFL into what it is today. He was a great man and will be dearly missed.”
