Oakland Raiders - Pro Football Betting, Online Sportsbook Casino
Oakland
Raiders History
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Oakland Raiders, professional
football team and one of five teams in the Western Division
of the American Football Conference (AFC) of the National Football
League (NFL). The Raiders play at Network Associates Coliseum
in Alameda, California, and wear uniforms of silver and black.
The Raiders were professional football’s most consistent
team from the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s, reaching the
playoffs 15 times and earning four NFL or American Football
League (AFL) titles in 19 seasons. As AFL champions, they played
in the second Super Bowl, in 1968, and lost to the Green Bay
Packers. During John Madden’s ten years as head coach
(1969-1978), Oakland played in seven league or conference championship
games and won one Super Bowl, in 1977. From 1980 to 1993 the
team reached the postseason eight times, winning the Super Bowl
in 1981 and 1984. The Raiders are the only team that appeared
in at least one Super Bowl each decade during the 1960s, 1970s,
and 1980s.
The Raiders joined the AFL as a charter member in 1960. The
team spent its first three seasons changing stadiums and recording
losing records. Al Davis, a former assistant coach for the San
Diego Chargers, was hired as head coach and general manager
in 1963. He reorganized the Raiders, and the team improved to
a 10-4 win-loss record. Four years later, the club captured
the 1967 AFL title under head coach John Rauch. Quarterback
Daryle Lamonica won the first of his two passing titles as Oakland
advanced to the Super Bowl to face the NFL-champion Green Bay
Packers. Green Bay won 33-14, but the Raiders had established
themselves as an AFL power. The Raiders reached the AFL Championship
Game under Rauch in 1968 and again in 1969, this time under
former Raiders assistant coach John Madden, who had taken over
the head coaching duties. Madden was named AFL coach of the
year in 1969 when, at age 32, he was the AFL’s youngest
coach.
Oakland joined the NFL in 1970 when the NFL and AFL completed
their merger. The team promptly won the 1970 Western Division
crown and advanced to the AFC Championship Game, where they
lost to the Baltimore Colts (now Indianapolis Colts). Under
Madden the Raiders gained a reputation as one of the most intimidating
teams in professional sports. Their character was exemplified
by center Jim Otto and offensive linemen Art Shell and Gene
Upshaw, who fiercely protected quarterbacks George Blanda and
Kenny Stabler. The Raiders lost three consecutive AFC Championship
Games from 1973 to 1975 before winning the game in 1976. In
the subsequent Super Bowl, veteran wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff
played an outstanding game as the club defeated the Minnesota
Vikings, 32-14.
Madden left the Raiders after the 1978 season and was replaced
by Tom Flores, who had been the team’s first quarterback.
In Flores’s nine seasons as head coach he led the club
to five postseason appearances and two Super Bowl championships.
Quarterback Jim Plunkett, playing his first full season in Oakland
in 1980, commanded a potent offense that also starred wide receiver
Cliff Branch and running back Mark van Eeghen. That year the
Raiders became the first wild-card playoff team to win a Super
Bowl, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10.
With hopes of a better-equipped stadium and more fan support,
the Raiders franchise moved to Los Angeles, California, following
the 1981 season. At its new home in the Los Angeles Coliseum,
the team put together a 12-4 record in 1983 and returned to
the Super Bowl. Plunkett, running back Marcus Allen, and tight
end Todd Christiansen powered an offense that crushed its three
postseason opponents by an average of 24 points. The Raiders’
defensive stars were cornerback Lester Hayes and end Howie Long.
From 1986 to 1989 the Raiders failed to make the playoffs. Coached
by former Raider player Art Shell, the club rebounded with three
postseason appearances in four years from 1990 to 1993. Shell
was named coach of the year in 1990. Tim Brown emerged as one
of the league’s swiftest wide receivers and most skilled
punt returners during the 1990s. Following the 1994 season Shell
left the team and the Raiders moved back to Oakland, as fan
support in Los Angeles reached an all-time low and disagreements
over renovations of the Los Angeles Coliseum continued between
the city and owner Al Davis. After the 13-year hiatus, the Oakland
City Council welcomed the team back with a remodeled, expanded
stadium and helped the franchise pay for relocation expenses.
Despite the move, the club remained near the bottom of the division
through the mid- and late 1990s.
IV SUPER BOWL RECORD
1968 Super Bowl II Lost to Green Bay Packers, 33-14
1977 Super Bowl XI Defeated Minnesota Vikings, 32-14
1981 Super Bowl XV Defeated Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10
1984 Super Bowl XVIII Defeated Washington Redskins, 38-9. |
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