Raider Owner Davis Voted to Hall of Fame

When the Pro Football Hall of Fame disclosed the names of the class of 1992 Saturday at a crowded news conference, there was applause from the reporters for only one winner: Raider owner Al Davis.

That was a surprise because it had been generally supposed that some of the writers, arguing against him, had kept Davis out of the Hall of Fame for the last seven years.

More unexpected, to Davis at least, was the fact that he was selected at all--at long last--and that he will be inducted next summer along with John Mackey, John Riggins, and Lem Barney.

“Yeah, I was a little surprised that it happened,” Davis said. “I guess I represented something that (some) people didn’t particularly like.”

If some reporters have changed their minds, Davis is grateful, he kept saying. Cordially thanking as many of the 31 members of the selection committee as he came across, he obviously was touched.

“Thank you,” he said. “Thank you very much.”

To some, that seemed out of character for Davis. But his uniform wasn’t.

Dressed in his customary silver and black, he said he couldn’t decide whether it’s a greater honor to win a Super Bowl game or make the Hall of Fame.

“It’s kind of an unfair question,” he said. “They’re both great honors. A Super Bowl win is a tribute to the team, to the organization. It’s tough to answer.”

Davis seemed genuinely pleased with the three other winners--Mackey, the 1963-71 tight end for the Baltimore Colts; Riggins, who was a running back for the New York Jets in the ‘70s and the Washington Redskins in the early ‘80s, and Barney, the 1967-77 cornerback for the Detroit Lions.

There were two other finalists--Tom Mack, the 1966-78 Ram guard who in his 13 NFL years was voted into 11 Pro Bowls, and Charlie Joiner, the Charger receiver who held the NFL record for catches (650) when he retired in 1986.

Because Mack and Joiner made the final six, they will be on the ballot again next year.

Others who made the final 10 before losing out were tackle Bob Brown (Rams), tackle Dan Dierdorf (Cardinals), wide receiver Lynn Swann (Steelers) and coach Bud Grant (Vikings).

Others who made the final 15 were coach Bill Walsh (49ers), punter Ray Guy (Raiders), defensive end Carl Eller (Vikings) and President Wellington Mara of the New York Giants.

The selection committee was operating under rules that the Hall of Fame organization in Canton, Ohio, has loosened to make sure that at least four winners are inducted annually.

Previously, an 80% mandate was needed for election. Under a present rule, the four candidates receiving the most votes are elected.

“It’s a bad rule,” said Vito Stellino of the Baltimore Sun, former president of the Pro Football Writers Assn.

He noted that 80% of 31 equates to 25 voters--meaning that, under what were enforceable committee rules until recently, seven no-votes could defeat any candidate.

Stellino is a leader of the writers’ faction opposing Davis. “I’m sure there were more than seven negative votes (for some finalists),” he said.

As the last commissioner of the American Football League, Davis formulated the strategy that brought about the AFL-NFL merger in 1966. And his Raiders have won three Super Bowls in four appearances.

Said Davis of his greatest accomplishment: “From a very young age, I wanted to take an organization and make it the finest in pro sports.”