Al Davis, who fashioned the Oakland Raiders in his own renegade, antisocial image, often rewarding their fans with championship-caliber play but more often opposing and irritating his fellow team owners and the commissioners of the National Football League, died Saturday. He was 82.

The Raiders said he died at his home in Oakland, Calif.

First as a coach, and then as an owner and managing general partner of the Raiders, Davis became the symbol of the franchise. He was an authoritarian, often depicted as running the Raiders on the field from the front office and treating his coaches like marionettes. And he was a polarizing force in football, the object of both admiration and animosity.

He generally inspired deep loyalty among his players, although he had an ugly battle with one of his biggest stars, running back Marcus Allen, and when he got along with his head coaches (not a given) — most notably John Madden, who led the Raiders from 1969-78, their most successful decade — they spoke warmly of him. Wherever the team called home, Oakland or Los Angeles, Davis was a fan favorite — until he wasn’t.

He established the Raiders as a successful franchise in Oakland, sued the NFL in the early 1980s in order to move the team to Los Angeles, and then after 13 seasons moved the team back to Oakland. He feuded for decades with longtime NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle. Known for, or at least suspected of, underhanded ploys like bugging the visiting team’s clubhouse, he infuriated other owners with his relentless self-interest; Dan Rooney of the Pittsburgh Steelers once called him a “lying creep.”

For his part, Davis once said of his fellow owners: “Not all of them are the brightest of human beings.”

Don Shula, the Hall of Fame coach, once said of Davis, reporting on a conversation they’d had: “Al thought it was a compliment to be considered devious.”

But he knew football. A shrewd judge of talent, especially early in his career, he became known for providing a home for gifted, wayward athletes, signing or trading for some players who were undervalued or given up on by other teams, like quarterbacks Daryle Lamonica, George Blanda and Jim Plunkett, and running back Billy Cannon and tight end Hewritt Dixon, whose careers were revitalized when Davis had them switch positions.

He rehabilitated others, like receiver Warren Wells, defensive linemen Lyle Alzado and John Matuszak, and quarterback Ken Stabler, whose reputations were sullied (either before or after they became Raiders) by allegations of criminal behavior, drug use, gambling or other transgressions.

The Raiders’ colors, silver and black, were chosen by Davis to intimidate. As was their insignia, a shield emblazoned with the image of a pirate in a football helmet in front of crossed sabers. The Raiders’ unofficial team motto, coined by Davis — “Just win, baby!” — was reflected by the take-no-prisoners style of play he encouraged, featuring brutal physicality on defense and speed and long passing on offense.

“I don’t want to be the most respected team in the league,” Davis said in 1981. “I want to be the most feared.”

Davis was affiliated with the Raiders almost without a break for nearly half a century, from the time he was hired as the head coach and general manager in 1963.