Jonathan Kingdon - Al Davis: Behind the Raiders Shield

Al Davis

Behind the Raiders Shield

Untold Stories from Longtime Davis Confidants

by Bruce Kebric and Jon Kingdon

with Steve Corkran

2017 Bruce Kebric, Jon Kingdon and Steve Corkran

Rather Be Feared Publishing

Chicago, Illinois

For author interviews and appearances, or to contact the publisher, email

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-692-86987-1

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017944316

Front jacket photo courtesy of Brad Mangin.

Back jacket photo courtesy of Ron Riesterer.

Excerpt of Memory on Page 285 was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, T. S. Eliot, Trevor Nunn, Zdenek Hruby. Universal Music Publishing Group, Imagem Music, Inc.

Dedication

To Liz, Angie and Kelsey the triad that made my pro football journey a serene one. Thanks also to Al Davis, Sid Gillman, and Joe Madro for their guidance.

Bruce Kebric

To Karen, Kelly, and Stephen, for their love and support and for always keeping it interesting. Also, thanks to Mark, Ken, Carole, and Uncle Marty for their inspiration and unwavering support.

Jon Kingdon

To my wonderful wife, Diana, and our beautiful children, Alexander, Zachary and Sara, for their steadfast support, love, patience and understanding throughout this process.

Steve Corkran

Acknowledgements

The production of this book was made seamless as a result of the guidance, expertise and unconditional cooperation of Gary Peterson, Brad Mangin, Bob Larson, and Ron Riesterer, in particular.

We owe a huge thanks to Greg Papa, Peter King, and John Clayton for their kind words and high praise.

We also wish to recognize the contributions made by Alan Sparer, Jan Sprague, Natalie Lane, Bettyann Heppler and Doug Pensinger, Jerry Soifer, Russ Reed, Norm Fisher, and the Los Angeles Chargers.

Table of Contents

Preface

A fter leaving the Oakland Raiders some six months following the death of Al Davis, Jon Kingdon and Bruce Kebric decided that it might be interesting to write a book about their nearly 65 years of combined experience with the Raiders, in general, and Al Davis, specifically. There have been a number of books published about the Raiders, some highlighting the players, some delving into the teams outlaw image, and others searching to decipher the mind of Al Davis. Th s book, however, differs in that it is written by two player personnel department leaders who were closely involved with Davis in the decision-making process of selecting both players and coaches, as well as determining team rosters.

Frequently, when scouts are on the road evaluating prospects, they share stories of what has transpired in their particular teams draft preparation process. When telling their stories about the Raiders draft room and how the players ultimately were selected, Kingdon and Kebric would often get stares of amazement while their NFL colleagues waited for a punchline that was not forthcoming. They had to reassure the audience that they were not making up the stories and certainly not telling jokes.

Former Raiders beat writer Steve Corkran expressed his interest about the idea of writing a book from the player personnel angle. He related to Kingdon and Kebric that he had been approached on several occasions about authoring a book on the Raiders, but was waiting for the right opportunity to arise. He issued one caveat: It has to be warts and all.

There were some great draft picks and some truly outlandish selections. There was a Commitment to Excellence and, at times, a stubbornness which threw that commitment out the window. As Calvin Branch, a former Raiders player and later a member of the teams scouting staff, remarked after Davis death: Al Davis was the captain of the pirate ship and the rest of us were deckhands.

As Kingdon and Kebric tell it, working for Al Davis was exciting at its best, frustrating at its worst, but it was always challenging.

The Authors