After Christmas and Thanksgiving, it may be America’s preeminent holiday. Yes, today is Al Davis’ birthday.

Davis was born on the Fourth of July, and today he turns 80.

To put that life span in perspective, here are some other notable people born in 1929: Martin Luther King, Anne Frank, Arnold Palmer, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Roger Bannister, Audrey Hepburn, Fats Domino, Yasser Arafat.

No, you couldn’t call Davis the most famous of the bunch, or the most influential, or even the most controversial. But it has been an epic 80 years for the Raiders’ manager of the general partner (a title that makes no more sense now than when I first heard it 25 or so years ago).

Al Davis’ image has evolved, but he remains a larger-than-life personality. I could chronicle his achievements, which are real and significant and often forgotten these days. I could also catalog his eccentricities and failures, but to be quite honest, I’ve spent much of the past six years doing that.

Instead, I want to celebrate and Davis’ life by breaking it into decade-long installments.

Al Davis at 10: I won’t pretend that I have a vivid picture of Al Davis’ childhood. What I do know is that he was living in Brooklyn by 1939. His father manufactured raincoats and dabbled in real estate. Davis has said that he lived next door to Lincoln Terrace Park, describing it as a tough place to hang out.

Al Davis at 20: Having graduated from Erasmus Hall High School at 16, Davis is well on his way to earning an English degree at Syracuse. And you can bet that he has already identified pro football as one possible destination.

Al Davis at 30: Davis has always been willing to take a chance on a bright young coach, whether it’s John Madden, Jon Gruden or Lane Kiffin. Part of the reason, no doubt, is that these young hotshots remind him of himself at 30. In 1959, Davis was in his third season coaching offensive ends at USC, under Don Clark. (The Trojans went 1-9 in 1957, then 4-5-1 in 1958, then 8-2 in 1959.) The following year, John McKay would take over at Southern Cal and Davis would begin his NFL odyssey by joining Sid Gillman’s Los Angeles Chargers staff. He was on the fast track.

Al Davis at 40: Though he had yet to win Super Bowls, this was pretty close to the pinnacle of Davis’ professional life. Not only had his Raiders become one of the most feared teams in pro football — they were 12-2 in 1968 and would go 12-1-1 in 1969 — he had also been instrumental in brokering the AFL/NFL deal that created the Super Bowl and soon, in 1970, would bring a true merger of the two leagues. Davis was being hailed for his acumen in scouting and his innovative training techniques, and was seen as having something of a Midas touch, despite the weird jumpsuits.

Al Davis at 50: He still had two Super Bowl titles ahead of him. But by 1979, Davis had proved mortal. As his team began to age, it fell into mediocre years in 1978 and 1979. He was publicly bickering with quarterback Ken Stabler, had begun to hint at moving the Raiders out of Oakland, and was becoming more isolated from his fellow NFL owners. But he hadn’t lost much off his fastball. The Raiders would be champions in 1980 and 1983.

Al Davis at 60: The Raiders, six seasons removed from their decisive Super Bowl XVIII victory over the Redskins, had settled into a period of mediocrity. But Davis will reclaim the headlines in 1989 when he fires Mike Shanahan after four games and makes Art Shell the first African-American head coach in modern NFL history. The Raiders will field competitive teams in L.A. during the first half of the 1990s. But here you begin to see the obsession with issues other than football — lawsuits, enemies (e.g. Marcus Allen) and the endless search for a more favorable stadium.

Al Davis at 70: By 1999, many were saying the game had passed Davis by. The Raiders had floundered since returning to Oakland in 1995, and he was burning through coaches as if they were cigars. The PSL system at the Coliseum had alienated many fans, and Mount Davis stood as a tribute to his hubris. And yet he was about to enter a short boom period with Gruden on the sidelines. As the Raiders play their way to three consecutive AFC West titles from 2000 to 2002 (the last an AFC title run under Gruden’s successor, Bill Callahan), most Raiders fans will be convinced that their team — and its maverick owner — have returned to the mountaintop.

Al Davis at 80: I’m guessing I don’t really need to detail the crash of the past six years. The Raiders have become not only the losingest team in the NFL, but the strangest, and Davis’ physical appearance has deteriorated apace. I’ll just say this: Remember Al Davis at 30? The brash young coach who knew he was destined for greatness and would crush anything or anyone who stood in his way? That guy would have some dynamic football conversations with Al Davis at 80. But I don’t think the two could work together.