Oakland Raiders History

Oakland Raiders tickets got a gigantic boost in value when the Raiders engineered a trade with the Vikings for wide receiver Randy Moss. The mercurial Moss fits right into the Raiders brash persona and his flamboyant style is a natural for a California team. Al Davis likes to chunk the ball downfield and with Kerry Collins behind center, fans with Raiders tickets will be seeing a lot of rainbows in McAfee Coliseum.

The Raiders were founded in 1960 as one of the original members of the AFL. The first few years were spent in turmoil, with stadium changes and losing records, until Al Davis took over as general manager in 1963 and immediately improved the team to a 10-4 record. Four years later, with John Rauch as head coach, the Oakland Raiders were the AFL Champions. Heading into the Super Bowl behind quarterback Daryl Lamonica, the Raiders faced off with the Green Bay Packers. The Raiders would go down in defeat to the Packers, 33-14.

Oakland would return to the AFL Championship game in 1968 and again in 1969 under new head coach John Madden. After joining the NFL, the Madden-led Raiders would capture the AFC Western Division, but lose to the Colts in the AFC Championship Game. It became a familiar pattern, as the Raiders lost the AFC Championship three times, before finally capturing an AFC Championship in 1976 and defeating the Minnesota Vikings 32-14 in the Super Bowl. Along the way the Raiders would field football legends and eventual Hall of Fame members Gene Upshaw, Art Shell, Fred Biletnikof, and Ken Stabler.

Madden’s successor as head coach was Tom Flores, a former Raiders quarterback. Flores gave the Raiders a pair of Super Bowl rings over nine years, including a win over the Eagles. With that victory, the Raiders became the firs wild card team win the NFL title.

Unhappy with the fan support in Oakland, Davis, who had assumed ownership of the team, set off a firestorm in the NFL by moving the team to Los Angeles in 1981. The move resulted in years of court battles, but the Raiders kept right on moving, posting a 12-4 record in 1983 and winning the Super Bowl with Jim Plunkett at quarterback and Marcus Allen at the running back. The honeymoon in Los Angeles eventually came to an end with stadium problems and the Raiders moved back to Oakland for the 1995 season.

Jon Gruden took over the head coaching spot in 1998 and over four years posted a 40-28 record, winning two division titles and advancing the Raiders to an AFC Championship game in 2000.

Oakland Raiders tickets are always a good bet for great football. McAfee Coliseum will be packed in 2005 as Randy Moss brings his own unique style to the Raiders freewheeling attack. If the Raiders can add some defense to their swagger on offense, this team has a chance to restore some of the luster to Oakland Raiders tickets.

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