Post by TheShadow on Feb 18, 2006 21:05:13 GMT -5
www.nflthrowbacks.com
1960
To tell the story of the Raiders we need to start with the birth of the
American Football League (AFL), which began in 1960 as an 8 team rival
league to the NFL. Both leagues competed head to head for players, fans and
broadcast revenue. This was the way it was from 1960 to 1965 - two separate
leagues, two separate champions, although few people would have honestly
believed that the AFL champion could have beaten the NFL champs. Then in
1965 the two leagues agreed to merge. It was decided that beginning in 1970
there would be only one league, the NFL. In the interim, between 1966 and
1969, the AFL Champion would play the NFL Champion for the "World
Championship". It was only after the first World Championship had been
played in 1966 that the name "Super Bowl" came into being.
With the birth of the AFL, the city of Oakland is awarded the 8th and final
franchise after the Minnesota franchise opts out of the AFL for the NFL
before they play a single game. Thus the Raiders joined the following teams
in the AFL: New York Titans (now Jets); Dallas Texans (now Kansas City
Chiefs); Los Angeles Chargers (now San Diego Chargers); Houston Oilers (now
Tennessee Titans); Boston Patriots (now New England Patriots); Buffalo
Bills; and Denver Broncos.
A group of 8 headed by Chet Soda, Ed McGah, Wayne Valley and Robert Osborne
constitute the ownership. The franchise held a contest to determine the
nickname of the team with the fans choosing the name 'Senors'. Ownership,
however, opted for the 'Raiders'. With 'Babe' Parilli and Tom Flores at QB,
and the legendary Jim Otto at Center, the Raiders took to the field
compiling a respectable 6-8 record their first year.
To the astute football observer, the Raiders' black 1960 HOME uniform
somewhat resembles a Pittsburgh Steelers' jersey with a black & gold color
scheme. The use of unusual 'round' numbers is something that both the
Steelers and the Chicago Bears have previously, and still do, use. The look
of the jersey is very clean and elegant with 3 gold stripes on each sleeve
and white numbers with gold trim. This would be the only time in Raiders'
history that the franchise used this numeric style. The helmet style was
simple: black with no logo.
The first three years of Raiders' history were pretty bleak - the team went
a combined 9-33-0 and averaged fewer than 11,000 fans per game. But don't
despair, help is on its way.
1963
1963 was a very significant year in Raiders' history! Coming off a
disastrous 1-13 season in 1962, Al Davis was brought in as head coach. With
his infamous 'Just Win Baby' attitude, the 33-year old turned the
organization around, and won Coach of the Year honors for helping guide the
Raiders to a 10-4 record in '63. Amazingly, the Raiders didn't make the
playoffs as the AFL playoffs at the time consisted of the East Division
winner playing the Western Division winner, and although the Raiders
finished 10-4, the San Diego Chargers finished 11-3 to win the West and
therefore the right to play the 7-6-1 Boston Patriots.
The 1963 ROAD uniform was very simple, but still unique: there was no sleeve
striping; the uniform numbers took on a less rounded, more 'varsity' or
traditional look; both the chest and sleeve numbers were gold with black
trim. The most dramatic change from year one, however, was the addition of
the infamous Raiders' logo to the helmet. This logo, which has remained
virtually identical to the present day, captures the essence of the Raiders'
organization and their fans.tough, gritty, pirates that will do almost
anything to win!
Did you know.the logo's centerpiece (the helmeted face with the eye patch)
was supposedly modeled after actor Randolph Scott?
1967
In 1966, Al Davis - Oakland's coach from 1963-65 - is named Commissioner of
the AFL. He is replaced by John Rauch, who goes a remarkable 33-8-1 from
1966-68. The Raiders start the 1967 season off by absolutely annihilating
Denver 51-0.and go on to finish the regular season an amazing 13-1 and thus
make the playoffs for the first time in their history! They go on to play
the Eastern Division Champion Houston Oilers, and crush them 40-7 to become
'AFL Champions'. Next up? The NFL Champion Green Bay Packers and Vince
Lombardi's Packers.
Before we tell you who won, the years 1966-1969 warrant a bit of
explanation. As mentioned earlier, the AFL began in 1960 as an 8 team rival
league to the NFL - both leagues competed head to head for players, fans and
TV revenue. And thus it was for 5 years, two separate leagues, two separate
champions (although few people would have honestly believed that the AFL
champion could have beaten the NFL champs). Then in 1965 the two leagues
agreed to merge. It was decided that beginning in 1970 there would be only
one league, the NFL, and that between 1966 and 1969 the AFL Champion would
play the NFL Champion for the "World Championship". It was only after the
first World Championship had been played in 1966 that the name "Super Bowl"
came into being. Thus in 1967 the AFL Raiders were actually competing for
two titles, the AFL Championship and the Super Bowl Championship. They
achieved the first goal, but came up short on the second as they succumbed
to the mighty Packers 33-14 in Super Bowl II at the Orange Bowl in Miami.
This black HOME jersey, as worn by such Raiders' greats as Jim 'Double 0'
Otto, Ben Davidson, Daryl Lamonica, George Blanda & Willie Brown, is in the
traditional 'silver & black' colours Raiders' fans are now so accustomed to.
There's no striping, no trim around the numbers.just a black jersey with
silver-grey uniform numbers. Nothin' fancy, and that's the way the Raiders
like things.
Here's one for you: Beginning in 1965, the Raiders had a winning record 19
of the next 20 seasons, and during that span they won 12 division
championships and Super Bowls XI, XV and XVIII. The Raiders are the only
team to play in the Super Bowl in the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's. We're also
told that in the 30-year period between 1963 and 1992, the Raiders' record
285-146-11 (.661) ranks as the best among all major sports teams.
1976
The late 60's to early 70's brought change and success to the Raider
organization. In 1969, managing general partner, Al Davis, brought in John
Madden to coach and continue Davis' handy work. In 1970, due in part to the
continued efforts of Al Davis, the AFL & NFL merge. Under coach Madden, the
Raiders continued to claw & scratch their way to victory, making the
playoffs every year of Madden's 1969-78 reign except one.
In 1976, Davis' and Madden's Raiders go a remarkable 15-1, beating all
comers except New England (who beat the Raiders 48-17 on what had to have
been an off day for the otherwise perfect Raiders). In the first round of
the playoffs, the Raiders met the Patriots again, and had to score two
unanswered touchdowns in the 4th quarter to eke out a 24-21 win.
A week later, they take on the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers, the defending
Super Bowl champs. But Oakland's defence shuts down the vaunted Steelers
attack, and the Raiders knock off the Steelers 24-7 to advance to the Super
Bowl for the first time in their history.
Their opponents are the Minnesota Vikings, who dominated the regular season
in the NFC - going 11-2-1. The Vikings capture the NFC Championship by
beating the Redskins 35-20 and the LA Rams 24-13, and thus advance to the
Super Bowl for the 4th time in 8 seasons.
And as all good Raiders fans know, the Raiders pound the Vikings 32-14, in
front of over 100,000 people to win Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl in
Pasadena. Sure handed Fred Biletnikoff is named the MVP of the game.
These HOME & ROAD uniforms, as worn by Super Bowl Champions Ken Stabler,
Fred Biletnikoff, Ray Guy, Mark van Eeghen, Gene Upshaw, Art Shell, John
Matusak, Otis Sistrunk and Jack Tatum commemorate this spectacular season.
The black HOME jersey is quite similar to the '67 version. Note the addition
of a black belt, and zippered pant front, something the Raiders have kept
right up to the present day. We've shown a foam neck collar because so many
Raiders used them for protection.
The white ROAD uniform hasn't changed that drastically from the '63 version
except that the chest & sleeve numbers have gone from gold to black, and the
numbers now have a silver trim. If you look closely, you can see small
numbers on the back of the helmets, straddling the black stripe that runs
from front to back.
A final note: The Raiders under John Madden compiled a truly remarkable
record - from 1969 to 1978 the Raiders went 103-32-7, making the playoffs
every year but one (and in that 1971 season they went 8-4-2 but didn't make
the playoffs).
1980
Here we go again!
Tom Flores, who has previously been employed by the Raiders as a quarterback
and assistant coach, became the Raiders coach in 1979, and he leads to
Raiders to something that has never been accomplished before or since - read
on.
The 1980 Raiders go 11-5, but finish second to Dan Fouts' Chargers. Thus the
Raiders make the playoffs as a wild card team. In their first playoff game,
they beat the Houston Oilers 27-7 in Oakland. They then went to Cleveland
where they beat the Browns 14-12 on the strength of a Mark van Eeghen 4th
quarter touchdown. Next stop was San Diego and the high flying Chargers. In
a wild affair, the Raiders go out to a 21-7 lead, then hang on to win 34-27
and thus advance to Super Bowl XV.
And in Super Bowl XV, the Raiders down the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10 at the
Superdome in New Orleans with QB Jim Plunkett earning MVP honors. Thus the
Raiders become the only Wild Card team ever to win the Super Bowl, and Tom
Flores becomes the first person to win a Super Bowl ring as a player (Kansas
City 1969), assistant coach (1976 Raiders) and head coach (1980 Raiders).
This ROAD white uniform, as worn by Raider stalwarts such as Jim Plunkett,
Art Shell and Ted Hendricks, is almost identical to the '76 version - with
the exception that the pants now sport a black belt. As we did research on
Oakland's uniforms through the years, we were surprised to see how often
players wore different colored belts - even in the same photo. Thus we have
tried to depict the most common belt color used in 1980, in this case it was
a black belt.
1983
The '82 season was a sad one for the citizens and fans of Oakland as owner
(and former coach) Al Davis moves the beloved franchise to Los Angeles,
giving LA two NFL franchises (the other being the LA Rams). The 'Raiders'
nickname and logo, however, remained the same, and thus you can't tell an
Oakland uniform from an LA one.
After going 8-1 in the strike shortened 1982 season, the '83 Raiders keep it
going with a 12-4 record. Once again Jim Plunkett lead the troops through
the playoffs and on to Super Bowl XVIII - crushing the Steelers 38-10 and
the Seahawks 30-14 along the way.
And Tom Flores' team wastes little time in giving their new fans in LA the
championship. In decisive fashion, the Raiders decimate Joe Theismann and
his Washington Redskins 38-9 to capture Super Bowl XVIII at Tampa Stadium.
This HOME uniform, as worn by such stars as Marcus Allen, Lyle Alzado and
Howie Long, is relatively similar to the classic, silver & black style shown
in '76. Look closely at the left hip, and you'll notice a Raiders' towel
tucked into the black belt. It was not uncommon to see players such as Cliff
Branch use them to help keep their hands dry. As mentioned earlier, it's
remarkable that the Raiders' logo on their helmet basically doesn't change
from when it was first introduced in the early 60's to the present.
We mentioned this earlier but it bears repeating: Beginning in 1965, the
Raiders had a winning record 19 of the next 20 seasons, and during that span
they won 12 division championships and Super Bowls XI, XV and XVIII. The
Raiders are the only team to play in the Super Bowl in the 1960's, 1970's
and 1980's. We're also told that in the 30-year period between 1963 and
1992, the Raiders' record 285-146-11 (.661) ranks as the best among all
major sports teams.
1991
Between 1986 and 1999, the Raiders only made the post-season 3 times. And
though the franchise had seen better days, their loyal, fanatic following
still made going to a Raiders' game an event beyond compare. Tailgating,
costumes and attitude have always made cheering for opponents a very
dangerous past time at Raiders' games! In '91, the Raiders did make the
playoffs, but came out on the short end of a 10-6 score vs. their fierce AFC
rival - the Kansas City Chiefs.
This HOME uniform, as worn by Tim Brown, Willie Gault and Ronnie Lott as a
Raider, features the classic silver & black look Raiders' fans have come to
know and love. One other note about the uniform: If you look closely at
almost all NFL uniforms worn from 1991 on, you'll note a small NFL shield
patch on the jersey's neckline. Most NFL uniforms added the NFL logo patch
to the neck, and to the upper left thigh of the pants, beginning in 1991.
Note also the small foam collar depicted in this painting - it seems to be a
bit of a tradition with the Raiders that quite a few players were a foam
collar - much like that worn by Howie Long.
1994
This is the final season for the Raiders in Los Angeles before Al Davis
would relocate the team again, this time back to its original location in
Oakland (who says you can't go back!).
During the '94 season, the NFL and its franchises were showcasing 'throwback
' jerseys, or replicas of older uniforms to help commemorate the NFL's 75th
anniversary. The 75th anniversary was signified by the large, diamond patch
on the left shoulder. This uniform, a throwback to the look of the '63
Raiders, captured a similar jersey design feel all the while keeping the
team's modern 'silver & black' colour schematic. We're not sure, but it may
have been an oversight on the part of the NFL uniform design folks that saw
this 1994 throwback jersey, designed to honor the '63 Raiders, use silver
uniform numbers instead of gold. Oh well, we'll all far from perfect, and it
makes for a good discussion.
One other note about the uniform: If you look closely at almost all NFL
uniforms worn from 1991 on, you'll note a small NFL shield patch on the
jersey's neckline. Most NFL uniforms added the NFL logo patch to the neck,
and to the upper left thigh of the pants, beginning in 1991. The only major
exception to this practice was in 1994 when the teams wore their throwback
uniforms - in almost all of these cases, the throwback jersey did not have
the small NFL patch. Yet once again, the Raiders jersey is a bit of an
anomaly - in their case the throwback jersey does in fact have the NFL patch
on the neck and upper left thigh. AS we said earlier, everyone loves a good
mystery.