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This is a quote from the late Raiders owner Al Davis. The history of the Raiders organization is filled with groundbreaking moments in terms of civil rights.
This past Sunday, Las Vegas broke another milestone.
Before beating the New York Giants, the team has become the first in the NFL to boast a Black president, Sandra Douglass Morgan; Black coach, Antonio Pierce; and Black general manager, Champ Kelly.
Pierce and Kelly both became the interim head coach and general manager after the previous regime was fired last week.
Morgan became the president of the organization in the 2023 offseason.
The Raiders history includes Al Davis drafting the first black quarterback, Eldridge Dickey in 1968; hiring the first Latino Head Coach, Tom Flores in 1979; hiring the first black Head Coach in the modern Era, Art Shell in 1989; and hiring the first Female President, Amy Trask in 1997.
It’s a recent return back to the pioneering days of Al Davis.
Said Rod Graves, the executive director of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, “The Raiders’ recent victory was impressive. I join others who credit Antonio Pierce for his immediate impact as the interim head coach.”
The alliance is an independent group that advises the league on matters of diversity, equity and inclusion in hiring.
Pierce hopes to follow in the footsteps of Shell.
Shell became the permanent head coach for the Raiders in 1990, leading the team to a birth in the AFC Championship in 1991.
