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Steve Marcus

Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis speaks during a news conference, officially renaming the Oakland Raiders to the Las Vegas Raiders, in front of Allegiant Stadium Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020.

How long will it take before Las Vegas begins to feel like “home” for the Raiders? For a franchise that has been defined by transiency throughout its 60-year history, it may have already happened. And owner Mark Davis understands that could very well end up being his lasting legacy.

His father, Al Davis, was a groundbreaking coach, general manager and owner. He stewarded the franchise to three Super Bowl championships, drafted and signed dozens of Pro Bowl players and hired Hall of Fame coaches. It would have been impossible for Mark to live up to those kinds of achievements, because his dad had truly done it all.

Click to enlarge photo

In this Jan. 23, 1984, file photo, Oakland Raiders coach Tom Flores clutches the Super Bowl trophy as Raiders managing general partner Al Davis is interviewed by Brent Musburger in the locker room after their 38-9 win over the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII in Tampa, Fla. At right is NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle.

Except for one thing, that is. The Oakland Raiders were founded in 1960 and immediately had trouble finding a satisfactory home stadium. Al Davis moved the franchise to LA in 1982 in search of greener pastures and a better venue, but was once again forced to fit a square peg (his beloved team) into a round hole (Los Angeles Coliseum). He moved the team back to Oakland in 1995 but still found the stadium situation untenable, as he watched the Raiders play another decade-plus on the infield dirt of the Oakland Coliseum.

When Al Davis died in 2011 and Mark assumed control of the team, there was really only one thing he could do to leave his imprint on the organization in a way his father hadn’t—build a true home stadium.

It wasn’t easy. Davis had to outmaneuver NFL owners, government officials from other hopeful cities (sorry, San Antonio) and Sheldon Adelson in order to secure a commitment from Las Vegas and gain league approval to move the Raiders once again.

Now, after a journey that took more than three years, the Raiders are home, and Davis should feel like he did right by his dad.

After the owners’ meeting in 2017, during which the league voted 31-1 in favor of the team’s relocation, Davis expressed as much. “He would be proud of the fact that two kids who started as ball boys in the organization, me and [team president Marc Badain], were able to do something that we weren’t able to do for a long time: get our own stadium,” Davis told ESPN. “I think he’d be very proud of that.”

That’s why it pained Davis to announce the team would not allow fans inside Allegiant Stadium this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of a much-deserved celebratory atmosphere, the Raiders will play their eight home games inside an empty, quiet stadium. The franchise and Las Vegas deserved better.

But there will always be next year … or whenever football returns to normalcy. Allegiant Stadium will be there, as will the team. That’s how it works when you have a true home. It’s always there, waiting for you.

Allegiant Stadium will feature an eternal flame in memory of Al Davis, fitting considering the longstanding, continual watch he kept over the Raiders franchise.

At a ceremony in January, Mark Davis stood on a stage outside the stadium as the team officially changed its name to the Las Vegas Raiders. In that moment, he reflected on his father’s legacy, and how happy it would have made Al Davis to see the team in its home. “My father always said that the greatness of the Raiders is in its future,” Davis said. “Well, today that future truly starts.”

This story appeared in Las Vegas Weekly.

Article written by #LasVegasSun

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