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Davis dismisses retirement rumor Posted: Thursday January 23, 2003 7:50 PM
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Al Davis isn't ready to pack up his trademark satin sweat suits just yet. And he may not be anytime soon. Amy Trask, the Oakland Raiders' chief executive, dismissed the Super Bowl's liveliest rumor Thursday, saying Davis is in good health and has no plans to retire. "He's fine. He's not going anywhere," Trask told The Associated Press. "He's the owner. He's not retiring. He will continue to lead this team as he always has, and his personal achievements and contributions to the game of football will continue. "Everyone you know in the NFL will be retired before he is, and long before he's finished making contributions to this game." Davis and the Raiders will be making their first Super Bowl appearance in 19 years Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If the Raiders win, Davis will join the late Art Rooney of Pittsburgh with four Super Bowl victories, one behind the record of five held by Eddie DeBartolo of San Francisco. Veteran wide receiver Tim Brown speculated earlier this week that Davis might retire if the Raiders win. That prompted talk that the 73-year-old Davis might not be in the best of health. He did need a little assistance getting out of his seat and walking a few feet to the podium at a statue dedication at Qualcomm Stadium earlier this week. "Al is fine," said Hall of Famer Willie Brown, in his eighth year as director of squad development with the Raiders and his 32nd year in the organization. "He's still lifting weights and walking every day. He's doing quite well." So, those retirement rumors? "So, baloney," Brown replied. "He's around all day, every day. He's in that locker room. I can't envision Al Davis stepping away, because this is Al Davis' life. This has been his life from Day One." Well, not quite. But for a long time. In 1963, at age 34, Davis took over a failing Oakland franchise that had won nine of its first 42 games in the now-defunct AFL. The Raiders have a 372-219-11 record -- best in the league -- since that time. Their success level dropped considerably following a 38-9 victory over the Washington Redskins in the Super Bowl in January 1984; they won only two playoff games in the next 16 years. But the Raiders picked it up in the last three seasons, going 12-4, 10-6 and 11-5 to win AFC West championships. And now they're about to play in their fifth Super Bowl. "Al looks great to me," backup Raiders quarterback Marques Tuaisosopo said. "He's coming to practice every day, walking around. As far as I'm concerned, he's doing fine. He's in the locker room after every game high-fiving guys." Fred Biletnikoff, in his 28th year in the Raiders' organization as a player, coach and administrator, also said he doesn't believe Davis is close to retirement. "He's just a guy who is passionate about his team, how the organization is run," Biletnikoff said. "He just wants to make sure everything runs smooth, and he's on top of everything."
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