National Football League

Co-founder of the Oakland Raiders dies at age 91

Published Apr. 23, 2015 10:53 p.m. ET

foxsports

By James Arcellana

The Oakland Raiders lost the person most associated with the team on October 8, 2011 when legendary owner and coach Al Davis passed away. But what some forget is that Davis was not there from the beginning with the Raiders. In fact, before joining the Raiders, Al Davis was a member of the Los Angeles Chargers. But once he was hired by the Raiders, there was no turning back. He took a team that had not found much success in their early years and turned it into one of the most storied franchises in NFL history.

And now, the man who helped found the Raiders and one of the men behind bringing Al Davis to the Raiders has passed away at 91 years old. John Brooks was a property developer and an Oakland native who grew up in the Bay Area and is credited for founding the city of Fremont in the South Bay. He and Wayne Valley founded the Raiders in 1960 and brought Al Davis on in 1963, though Valley was the more involved owner of the two.

Eventually, Davis purchased an interest in the team and over time became the primary owner, though Brooks held an ownership interest in the team until 1999.

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