Raiders Didn't Miss a Beat When Davis Replaced Shell

Al Davis was a bold leader for the Raiders, and the Silver and Black never missed a beat when he replaced Art Shell with Bruce Davis.

Since the Oakland-Los Angeles Raiders had Hall of Fame offensive lineman Art Shell, Gene Upshaw, Jim Otto, and Bob Brown during the glory years of their storied history, some other outstanding O-linemen unfortunately seem to be underrated and/or overlooked.

One was 6-6, 290-pound tackle Bruce Davis, who was selected by the Raiders in the 11th-round (No. 294 overall) of the 1979 NFL Draft out of UCLA by Managing General Partner Al Davis and spent the first eight of his 11 years in the league with the Silver and Black.

“Al gave two generations of Davis men the opportunity to wear the Silver and Black and just to live out our dreams,” said Davis’ son, linebacker Bruce Davis II, who also played for the Raiders. “As a kid, I always wanted to be a Raider.

“When they decided to pick me up, Al called me himself. To be a second-generation Raider, it meant a lot to go out there and honor his memory.”

Bruce Davis was a defensive tackle early in his career at UCLA but was moved to tackle in his senior year when the Bruns’ offensive line was beset by injuries, and he was selected to the All-American team.

When he came to the Raiders, he played behind Shell for three seasons and learned from one of the greatest linemen in the history of the game.

In 1982, Davis took over at left tackle when Shell retired, and while he didn’t reach the same heights as his predecessor the Raiders’ offensive line didn’t miss a beat.

“Davis started all but one game for the Raiders from 1982 until 1987 … and played in 121 games for the Raiders during his eight and a half seasons with the team, both in Oakland and Los Angeles,” Fansided wrote in an article in which it selected Davis as the 12th-best offensive lineman in franchise history. “As such, Davis is one of the longest-tenured players on this all-time list.

“Although he never was named All-Pro or to a Pro Bowl, Davis was a member of two Super Bowl winning teams during his stay with the Silver and Black. In 1981, Davis was a reserve player, but in 1983 Davis protected quarterback Jim Plunkett’s blind side en-route to a massive Super Bowl win over the Washington Redskins.”

The Redskins were favored in Super Bowl XVIII at Tampa Stadium, led by running back John Riggins and quarterback Joe Theismann, after beating the Miami Dolphins, 27-17, a year earlier in Super Bowl XVII at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

This time, running back Marcus Allen and quarterback Jim Plunkett were the stars as the Raiders led virtually from start to finish in a dominating 38-9 victory, as Davis and the rest of the offensive line opened big holes for Allen and kept Plunkett upright for most of the game.

“We knew that all we had to do was give (Allen) a little bit of a hole and he would do the rest himself,” said Davis, whose primary job in the Super Bowl was blocking right end, Dexter Manley, an All-Pro who was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1986.

“ … When Marcus was in the game, teams had to adjust to him because he was a quadruple threat. Not only was he a great runner and receiver, he blocked very well, which many people didn’t realize, and he also threw the ball.”

Allen didn’t throw a pass in the Super Bowl, but he rushed 20 times for 191 yards including touchdowns of 74 and five yards in the third quarter to build the Raiders’ lead to 35-9, and he caught two passes for 18 yards.

With Davis watching his back, Plunkett completed 16-of-25 passes for 172 yards and a 12-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Cliff Branch in the second quarter to give the Raiders a 14-0 lead.

The closest the Redskins would get was 14-3 on a 24-yard field goal by Mark Moseley later in the second quarter.

“You get so much adrenaline going, I was exhausted in pregame warmups,” said Plunkett, who also led the Raiders to victory in Super Bowl XV. “But with this team, I didn’t get nervous at any time. These are great players. It is great to be with a team that has incredible running backs, an outstanding offensive line and great receivers.”

After earning two Super Bowl rings, Davis played four more seasons with the Raiders and his teammates selected him as the best offensive lineman on the squad in 1985.

Midway through the 1987 season, the Raiders traded Davis to the Houston Oilers, where he played three years, before attempting a comeback with the Raiders in 1990 but was released before the season started.

Davis died, apparently of a heart attack, at the age of 65 on Dec. 25, 2021, in Houston.

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