Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders are a National Football League team based in Oakland, California.

Founded: 1960 (charter American Football League member; joined NFL in 1970 merger)

Formerly known as: Los Angeles Raiders (1982-1994)

Home stadium: Network Associates Coliseum[?]

Uniform colors: Silver and Black

Helmet design: Silver with a black stripe. The emblem contains a man with an eye patch. The man is wearing an old style football helmet. Two swords cross behind the helmet.

League championships won:AFL 1967 NFL 1976, 1980, 1983

Super Bowl appearances: II (lost), XI (won), XV (won), XVIII (won), XXXVII (lost)

Table of contents 1 Franchise history 1 Players of note 1.1 Football Hall of Famers: 1.2 Current stars: 1.3 Retired numbers: 1.4 Not to be forgotten:

Franchise history

The Oakland Raiders were a charter member of the American Football League in 1960. The franchise started off slowly but turned things around with naming of Al Davis[?] as head coach in 1963. In 1966, Davis became Commissioner of the AFL and is considered a driving force behind a potential merger with the NFL. The Raiders appeared in Super Bowl II (the first of five Super Bowls) in 1968 but lost to the NFL champion Green Bay Packers. In 1970, the AFL-NFL merger took place and the Raiders joined the West Division of the American Football Conference in the newly merged National Football League.

The 1970s began the Raiders' ascent towards their current status as the winningest franchise in NFL history, starting with their 1977 Super Bowl XI win over the Minnesota Vikings. In spite of success, head coach John Madden left to pursue a career as a television football commentator.

In 1982, the Oakland Raiders moved to Los Angeles, California to play their home games at the Los Angeles Coliseum[?]. In 1987, the Raiders drafted two-sport athlete Bo Jackson[?] after he originally decided not to play pro football in 1986 when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted him in the first round. Al Davis's perceived infatuation with Jackson caused a major rift between Davis and star running back Marcus Allen[?], who eventually left to play for the Kansas City Chiefs. This also marked a somewhat down period in Raider franchise history, both on the field and, more importantly, off the field. This period was marked by the failure of troubled quarterback Todd Marinovich[?], the departure of Marcus Allen in 1993, and the career-ending injury of Bo Jackson in 1994. In the same year, the Raiders moved back to Oakland.

By 2000, the Raiders began to reclaim their position among the NFL elite teams, highlighted by the emergence of veteran quarterback Rich Gannon[?] as one of the best all-around quarterbacks in Oakland Raiders history.

The Raiders acquired all-time leading receiver Jerry Rice[?] prior to the 2001 season. They finished 10-6, but lost their divisional playoff game to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in the controversial "tuck" game, in which an apparent fumble by the Patriots, that was recovered by the Raiders, was ruled to be an incomplete pass.

The Raiders finished the 2002 season with an 11-5 record and clinched the 1st seed for the playoffs. Gannon was named MVP of the league. The Raiders made their fifth Super Bowl following the season, only to lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 48-21.

Players of note

Football Hall of Famers:

• Fred Biletnikoff[?]
• George Blanda[?]
• Willie Brown[?]
• Dave Casper[?]
• Mike Haynes[?]
• Ted Hendricks[?]
• Howie Long[?]
• Jim Otto[?]
• Art Shell[?]
• Gene Upshaw[?]

Current stars:

• Tim Brown[?]
• Rich Gannon[?]
• Charlie Garner[?]
• Jerry Rice[?]
• Rod Woodson[?]

Retired numbers:

none

Not to be forgotten:

• Marcus Allen[?]
• Lyle Alzado[?]
• Todd Christensen[?]
• Lester Hayes[?]
• Bo Jackson[?]
• Ken Stabler[?]

Oakland Raiders web site (http://www.raiders.com)