80 Fun Facts About Raiders

What name did the Oakland franchise use for nine days in 1960, after a Tribune contest, before switching to Raiders?

Señors won the Oakland Tribune's name-the-team contest but drew so much ridicule that the club dropped it after nine days in favor of Raiders.

Oakland got its AFL team after owners in which city defected to the NFL?

Minneapolis owners took an NFL offer instead and founded the team that became the Vikings, so the AFL handed its eighth and last charter franchise to Oakland in January 1960.

Which Raiders defensive end went on to play Sloth in the 1985 film The Goonies?

John Matuszak, the first overall pick of the 1973 draft, won two Super Bowls as a Raiders pass rusher and was already acting in films such as North Dallas Forty before he played Sloth.

Which record-setting receiver joined the Raiders in 2001 after 16 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers?

Jerry Rice was released by the 49ers at 38 and simply crossed the Bay, where he helped Oakland reach Super Bowl XXXVII and became the NFL's all-time leader in yards from scrimmage.

Before Oakland hired him, Al Davis was an assistant under Sid Gillman with which AFL team?

The San Diego Chargers, who began in Los Angeles in 1960, employed Al Davis for three seasons; he then took over a Raiders team that had gone 9–33, went 10–4 and was voted AFL Coach of the Year.

In 1966 Al Davis briefly left the Raiders to take which job?

AFL commissioner was Al Davis's title from April 1966, but two months later the two leagues agreed to merge; he resigned that July and returned to Oakland as a part-owner.

In the 1968 "Heidi Game", NBC cut away from the Raiders' final-minute comeback against which opponent?

The New York Jets led 32–29 when NBC switched to the film; Oakland scored twice in nine seconds to win 43–32, and the uproar led the NFL to write into its TV contracts that games be shown to the end.

Which watchmaker sponsored the 1968 TV film Heidi that cut off a famous Raiders comeback?

Timex bought the whole two-hour slot, and its contract required Heidi to start on time at 7 p.m. Eastern, so a watch company ended up cutting off a football game because of the clock.

The Raiders' first Super Bowl appearance ended in a 33–14 loss at the Orange Bowl to which team?

The Green Bay Packers won 33–14 in Super Bowl II with Bart Starr again the MVP; it proved to be Vince Lombardi's last game in charge, as he stepped down as their coach soon afterwards.

Which position group did Al Davis hire John Madden to coach in 1967 before making him head coach?

Linebackers were John Madden's first Raiders job in 1967; two years later John Rauch left for Buffalo and Al Davis promoted Madden, who at 32 was the youngest head coach in the AFL.

Among NFL head coaches with at least 100 games, John Madden holds which distinction?

Highest winning percentage: John Madden went 103–32–7 in ten regular seasons and never had a losing year, yet he quit coaching at 42 and never returned to the sideline.

On the 1972 Immaculate Reception, Bradshaw's pass may have deflected off which Raiders safety?

Jack Tatum collided with John Fuqua as the ball arrived; under the rules of the day, if it had touched only Fuqua the pass would have been incomplete and Oakland would have won 7–6.

Which Raiders running back caught the winning "Sea of Hands" touchdown against Miami in the 1974 playoffs?

Clarence Davis out-wrestled the Dolphins around him for Ken Stabler's desperate pass, and the 28–26 win knocked out the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.

Ken Stabler earned his nickname "Snake" from his high school coach after what?

A long, winding touchdown run for Foley High prompted his coach to call Ken Stabler "Snake"; he ran around defenses so well that the school lost only once in his three years there.

Ken Stabler played college football at which university before the Raiders drafted him?

Alabama was Ken Stabler's school: in 1966 he led the Crimson Tide to an 11–0 season and a Sugar Bowl win over Nebraska, yet the unbeaten team finished only third in the final polls.

Which tight end fell on the ball in the end zone to complete the 1978 "Holy Roller" against San Diego?

Dave Casper batted and kicked the loose ball into the end zone before falling on it for the 21–20 win; the NFL then ruled that only the fumbling player may advance a fumble in the final two minutes.

What do Chargers fans call the Raiders' 1978 "Holy Roller" play?

The Immaculate Deception echoes the Immaculate Reception, the 1972 play that went against the Raiders; this time the bounces went Oakland's way and San Diego lost 21–20.

Who was named MVP of Super Bowl XI despite gaining only 79 yards on four catches?

Fred Biletnikoff was Super Bowl XI MVP with four catches for 79 yards, three of them setting up Oakland touchdowns in the 32–14 win over Minnesota.

Which Raiders cornerback returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown in Super Bowl XI?

Willie Brown went undrafted and was cut by Houston before starring for Denver and Oakland; at 36 he stepped in front of a Fran Tarkenton pass and ran 75 yards to clinch Super Bowl XI.

The Raiders' first NFL title, a 32-14 win over Minnesota in January 1977, was played where?

The Rose Bowl in Pasadena staged Super Bowl XI, where the Raiders finally won the big one after losing six AFL and AFC title games in the previous eight seasons.

Ray Guy, the Raiders' 1973 first-rounder, was the first player at what position taken that early?

Punter Ray Guy went 23rd overall in 1973 and repaid the gamble: in 14 seasons he had only three punts blocked and won three Super Bowls with the Raiders.

Which former Raiders quarterback replaced John Madden as the team's head coach in 1979?

Tom Flores was promoted from Madden's own staff and won Super Bowl XV for Oakland and Super Bowl XVIII after the team moved to Los Angeles.

Which team took Jim Plunkett first overall in the 1971 draft?

The New England Patriots, still the Boston Patriots on draft day, took Stanford's Jim Plunkett first; after injuries he was traded and then released, yet he came off the Raiders' bench to win two Super Bowls.

By winning Super Bowl XV, the Raiders became the first champion to have entered the playoffs how?

As a wild card entrant in 1980, Oakland beat Houston at home, then won at Cleveland and San Diego before beating Philadelphia 27–10 in Super Bowl XV, the first wild-card team to win the title.

Which Raiders linebacker set a record with three Super Bowl XV interceptions of Ron Jaworski?

Rod Martin intercepted Ron Jaworski three times in Super Bowl XV, a record; the pregame storyline was whether Pete Rozelle would hand the trophy to Al Davis, who was suing the league over the move to Los Angeles.

Which halfback turned a Jim Plunkett pass into an 80-yard touchdown in Super Bowl XV?

Kenny King broke upfield when Jim Plunkett scrambled, took the pass near his own 40 and ran in for an 80-yard score, at the time the longest touchdown catch in a Super Bowl.

From 1982 to 1994 the Los Angeles Raiders shared their home stadium with which college team?

USC stayed on as co-tenant when the Raiders arrived in 1982, while UCLA moved out to a new home; Al Davis took his team back to Oakland in 1995.

Marcus Allen ran for 191 yards as the Raiders routed which defending champions in Super Bowl XVIII?

Washington had just scored a league-best 541 points, yet lost 38–9; Marcus Allen's 74-yard touchdown run, then the longest in a Super Bowl, sealed the Raiders' third title.

Which Ridley Scott-directed commercial aired during the Raiders' Super Bowl XVIII win?

Apple's "1984" Macintosh ad nearly never aired: the company's board disliked it and the agency was told to sell off the Super Bowl airtime, but it held on to the one-minute slot in the third quarter.

After his public feud with Al Davis, Marcus Allen finished his career with five seasons for which team?

The Kansas City Chiefs signed Marcus Allen in 1993 after he had been reduced to a backup in his last Raiders seasons; he promptly led his new team in rushing four years in a row.

In which round did the Raiders take Bo Jackson in the 1987 draft?

Seventh round, 183rd overall, is where the Raiders took Bo Jackson in 1987, a year after he refused to sign with Tampa Bay as the first overall pick; he famously called football a hobby.

During his 221-yard Monday Night game in 1987, Bo Jackson ran over which Seattle linebacker?

Brian Bosworth, the rookie who had publicly promised to contain him, was run over at the goal line as Bo Jackson piled up 221 yards, just 29 days after his first NFL carry.

After spurning Tampa Bay, Bo Jackson signed with which MLB club, the defending champions who drafted him in 1986?

The Kansas City Royals, fresh off the 1985 World Series title, drafted Bo Jackson in the fourth round in 1986; three years later he led off the All-Star Game with a 448-foot home run.

Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long, a second-round pick in 1981, played his college football where?

Villanova, where Howie Long also won the Northern Collegiate heavyweight boxing title, sent him to the Raiders as a second-round pick in 1981; he made eight Pro Bowls and the Hall of Fame in 2000.

When Art Shell was hired in 1989 he became the NFL's first Black head coach since which man in 1925?

Fritz Pollard, the league's first Black head coach in 1921, last led an NFL team in 1925; three years later he founded and coached the Chicago Black Hawks, an all-Black professional side.

Whom did Art Shell replace as Raiders head coach four games into the 1989 season?

Mike Shanahan was fired after a 1–3 start in 1989, his second season; within two weeks he was back in Denver as an assistant, and he later won two Super Bowls as the Broncos' head coach.

At which school did future Raiders receiver Tim Brown win the 1987 Heisman Trophy?

Notre Dame's Tim Brown made his case by returning two punts for touchdowns in the first quarter of one early-season game; the Heisman Trust counts him as the second wide receiver to win the award.

The towering seating structure added to the Oakland Coliseum for the Raiders' 1995 return got what nickname?

Mount Davis is the nickname, after Al Davis, of the upper deck built in the Coliseum's outfield for the 1995 return; it blocked the view of the Oakland hills and was tarped for A's games from 2006.

What were sections 104–107 of the Oakland Coliseum, home to the rowdiest costumed fans, known as?

The Black Hole filled the lowest seats behind one end zone; its regulars arrived hours early to tailgate and gave themselves alter egos to match their masks.

Which rapper recorded a song titled "Raider Nation" for the team?

Ice Cube released "Raider Nation" as a tribute single in 2009 and a year later directed Straight Outta L.A., a documentary on how the Los Angeles Raiders and West Coast rap fed off each other.

Which NFL Films figure is credited with the poem "The Autumn Wind", the Raiders' unofficial anthem?

Steve Sabol is credited with the verse, made for NFL Films' 1974 Raiders film; John Facenda's narration over Sam Spence's score turned it into the team's battle hymn.

The helmeted pirate on the Raiders logo was reportedly modeled on which Western film actor?

Randolph Scott, the square-jawed Western star, is said to be the face behind the pirate; the logo dates from 1960 and reached the helmet in 1963, when Al Davis switched the team to silver and black.

Hall of Fame Raiders center Jim Otto, who played 210 straight games, wore which number?

00 was the number Jim Otto took from his second season so that he would stand out; the only starting center the Raiders had in their first 15 years, he never missed a game.

Which Raiders quarterback played until he was 48, the oldest player in pro football history?

George Blanda played 26 pro seasons, the last nine in Oakland as kicker and backup passer; in 1970, aged 43, he won or tied five straight games with late touchdown passes and field goals.

Lester Hayes coated his hands and arms in which substance, banned by the NFL in 1981?

Stickum, the gummy substance Lester Hayes slathered on his hands and arms, was outlawed in 1981 under a rule named for him; in 1980 he intercepted 13 passes in the regular season and five more in the playoffs.

Which 6-foot-7 Raiders linebacker, born in Guatemala, was nicknamed "the Mad Stork"?

Ted Hendricks got the name at the University of Miami, where a tall, thin linebacker chasing the ball was all flapping legs; he went on to win four Super Bowls, three with the Raiders.

Hall of Fame Raiders guard Gene Upshaw later ran which organization?

The NFL Players Association was led by Gene Upshaw until his death in 2008; he took the players out on strike in 1987 and later accepted a salary cap in return for free agency.

Which former law-school intern did Al Davis make the Raiders' chief executive in 1997?

Amy Trask began law school in Los Angeles in 1982, the year the Raiders moved there, and interned in their legal office; she was chief executive from 1997 to 2013, the only woman then holding that job in the NFL.

At which school did Charles Woodson become the first primarily defensive player to win the Heisman?

Michigan's Charles Woodson won the 1997 Heisman as a cornerback who also returned punts and caught passes; the Raiders drafted him fourth overall in 1998 and he returned for his final three seasons.

Which referee turned a late fumble into an incomplete pass in the snowy January 2002 "Tuck Rule Game"?

Walt Coleman, after reviewing the play under the hood, ruled the quarterback's arm was moving forward; Charles Woodson had forced the fumble, and a 45-yard field goal through the snow then forced overtime.

The Raiders' 2002 "Tuck Rule Game" loss was the last game ever played at which stadium?

Foxboro Stadium closed after that night; the tuck rule itself survived until 2013, when owners voted 29–1 to scrap it, with the Patriots, who had won the game, among the two teams abstaining.

Which quarterback was 2002 NFL MVP after leading the league in passing yards and taking the Raiders to the Super Bowl?

Rich Gannon was the 2002 NFL MVP at 37: a fourth-round pick in 1987, he had played for three other clubs before reaching Oakland in 1999.

Which team paid the Raiders $8 million and four draft picks for Jon Gruden?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers paid two first-round picks, two second-round picks and $8 million for Jon Gruden, who then beat his old team in the Super Bowl at the end of that season.

Which first-year head coach took the Raiders to Super Bowl XXXVII?

Bill Callahan, promoted from offensive coordinator the previous March, brought the league's top-ranked offense, yet his quarterback threw five interceptions, three run back for touchdowns, in a 48–21 defeat.

Which Raiders starting center went missing for most of the day before Super Bowl XXXVII?

Barret Robbins, the Raiders' Pro Bowl center, disappeared the day before Super Bowl XXXVII and was left off the roster; he was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and Adam Treu started in his place.

In which country was Sebastian Janikowski, the Raiders' all-time leading scorer, born?

Poland is Sebastian Janikowski's birthplace; the Raiders spent a first-round pick on the Florida State kicker in 2000, a rare gamble that paid off when he became their all-time leading scorer.

Derek Carr's older brother David was the first overall pick of the 2002 draft by which expansion team?

The Houston Texans made David Carr the first draft pick in their history, yet it was his younger brother Derek, a second-round choice in 2014, who left a team as its career passing leader: the Raiders.

In 2018 the Raiders traded holdout pass-rusher Khalil Mack for two first-round picks to which team?

The Chicago Bears gave up two first-round picks for Khalil Mack in September 2018 and at once made him the highest-paid defender in NFL history with a six-year, $141 million contract.

Raiders pass-rusher Maxx Crosby played college football at which Mid-American Conference school?

Eastern Michigan produced Maxx Crosby, a fourth-round pick in 2019; as a rookie he sacked Cincinnati's Ryan Finley four times in one game.

Stephen Ross, the only owner to vote against the Raiders' 2017 move to Las Vegas, owns which team?

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross cast Miami's lone no in a 31–1 vote, saying owners owed it to fans to stay in the communities that had supported them.

Nevada raised $750 million for the Raiders' stadium with a tax on what?

Hotel rooms in the Las Vegas area were taxed at a higher rate to raise the $750 million; casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who had pledged $650 million of his own, pulled out before the NFL approved the move.

Mark Davis gave Allegiant Stadium what nickname at the team's first closed-door practice there in 2020?

The Death Star is what Mark Davis called it over the loudspeaker as his team first took the field: "Welcome to the Death Star, where our opponents' dreams come to die."

Since 2011 the Raiders have honored the late Al Davis before every home game with which ritual?

Lighting a memorial torch began in the season Al Davis died, with John Madden the first to do it; former players, celebrities and fans have followed, and the ritual moved with the team to Las Vegas.

Which Raiders receiver, a record-setting college sprinter, won three Super Bowls and entered the Hall of Fame in 2022?

Cliff Branch ran 100 meters in 10.0 seconds at the 1972 NCAA championships and spent all 14 seasons with the Raiders, yet his Hall of Fame call came only in 2022, three years after his death.

Which team did the Raiders beat 33–27 in overtime in their first Allegiant Stadium home game with fans, in 2021?

The Baltimore Ravens lost 33–27 on Monday night, September 13, 2021, when Derek Carr hit Zay Jones for the overtime winner; fans had to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or get a shot at the gate.

Al Davis was born in Brockton, Massachusetts, but grew up in which New York City borough?

Brooklyn is where Al Davis grew up after his birth in Brockton, Massachusetts; he earned an English degree at Syracuse and went straight into coaching.

Besides the Raiders, Mark Davis bought which other Las Vegas pro team in 2021?

The Las Vegas Aces were bought from MGM Resorts by Mark Davis in early 2021; a season-ticket holder before the purchase, he saw the WNBA team win its first title in 2022.

Which former quarterback and his business partner bought a 10% stake in the Raiders in 2024?

Tom Brady, who knocked the Raiders out of the playoffs in the Tuck Rule Game, took a 10% stake in the team in 2024 with business partner Tom Wagner while working as Fox's lead NFL analyst.

Jon Gruden quit as Raiders coach in 2021 after which newspaper published his old emails?

The New York Times published a second batch of Jon Gruden's emails on October 11, 2021, and he resigned that night, under four years into a ten-year, $100 million contract; Rich Bisaccia finished the season and reached the playoffs.

Which coach did the Raiders fire in January 2026 after a single 3–14 season?

Pete Carroll was reunited with his old Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, but the pairing produced a 3–14 record; he was fired the day after the season, the third straight year the Raiders had fired their head coach.

Before Oakland had a stadium for them, the Raiders played San Francisco home games at Candlestick Park and which other venue?

Kezar Stadium, the 49ers' home beside Golden Gate Park, hosted the Raiders' first four home games after the University of California refused them Memorial Stadium; they then moved to Candlestick Park.

Which quarterback did the Raiders take with the first overall pick of the 2007 NFL draft?

JaMarcus Russell, LSU's Sugar Bowl MVP, went first overall in 2007 but was released after three seasons and never signed with another NFL team.

Which running back came out of retirement in 2017 to play for his hometown Raiders?

Marshawn Lynch, an Oakland Technical High School product, returned in 2017 after a year away; Seattle retained his rights and traded him to Oakland for a swap of late-round draft picks.

Which Raiders running back led the NFL in rushing in 2022 with 1,653 yards?

Josh Jacobs led the NFL with 1,653 rushing yards in 2022, months after the Raiders declined the fifth-year option on his contract; he played one more season on the franchise tag before leaving.

The Oakland Coliseum was the last US stadium shared by an NFL team and a team from which sport?

Baseball's Athletics shared the Coliseum with the Raiders until the football team left after 2019, the last such NFL–MLB arrangement in the country; the A's stayed until 2024 on a surface named Rickey Henderson Field in 2017.

Which AFL owner's threat to forfeit the Los Angeles Chargers led to Oakland getting a team?

Barron Hilton, the hotel heir who owned the Los Angeles Chargers, threatened to pull his franchise unless the AFL placed a second team on the West Coast, and Oakland civic leaders assembled investors to take the slot.

Which star receiver did the Raiders release in 2019 before he had played a regular-season game for them?

Antonio Brown was released before the 2019 opener for conduct detrimental to the team, including a heated argument with general manager Mike Mayock, and never played a regular-season down for the Raiders.

Which Raiders quarterback was nicknamed 'The Mad Bomber'?

Daryle Lamonica earned the nickname by throwing long in almost any situation; a backup in Buffalo, he was twice AFL MVP in Oakland and took the Raiders to Super Bowl II.

Where was Wayne Valley in 1972 when Al Davis's lawyers rewrote the partnership to give Davis total control?

At the Munich Olympics in the summer of 1972, Wayne Valley was abroad when Al Davis had a new partnership agreement drawn up; Ed McGah signed it, the general partners approved it 2–1, and Valley sued and lost.

Which California city paid Al Davis a $10 million good-faith deposit in 1987 for a stadium that was never built?

Irwindale, a small San Gabriel Valley city, paid Al Davis a nonrefundable $10 million deposit in 1987 for a stadium in a gravel pit that was never built; Davis kept the money and later flirted with Sacramento.