Carol Davis, a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders and the widow of late owner Al Davis, has died at 93.
The Raiders announced on Sunday that Davis died on Friday. The team did not announce a cause of death. Davis was the mother of current controlling owner Mark Davis.
“Carol provided unbridled support and unparalleled guidance to the Davis family and the Raiders organization for over 60 years,” the Raiders' statement announcing her death reads. “Her direct impact on the greatness of the Raiders continues to be felt, cherished, and honored, and is woven into the fabric of this historic franchise. If Al was the heart of the Raiders, Carol was the soul.”
Carol and Al Davis married in 1954, and she had been a part of the Raiders franchise since Al was hired as head coach in 1963. Al Davis coached the Raiders for three years before a brief stint as the AFL commissioner in 1966.
He returned to the Raiders in 1966 as a part owner and took over as the franchise's managing partner in 1972. From then, he oversaw the direction of the team until his death in 2011. The Raiders under Al Davis went to four Super Bowls and won three while becoming of the NFL's signature franchises during their 1970s and 1980s heyday.
Carol Davis stood by Al's side throughout his tenure and retained an ownership stake after his death as their son, Mark, took control of the team. Per the Las Vegas Sun, Carol Davis was on hand for the team's 2017 groundbreaking in Las Vegas after the league's approval of their move from Oakland.
She lit the Al Davis torch for the team's first game at Allegiant Stadium in 2020. She presented two-time Super Bowl champion coach Tom Flores at his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction in 2021.
The Raiders on Sunday described Carol Davis as the The First Lady of Raider Nation.
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