Post by TheShadow on Feb 18, 2006 21:48:35 GMT -5
www.raiders.com
It seems like something strange always happens when the Raiders and Chargers
get together. Never mind the fact that something major is always on the line
when these two old AFL rivals meet on the gridiron. Fact is stranger than
fiction when you consider the play in 1978 that initiated a major NFL rule
change, or the AFC Western Division-clinching victory by the Raiders at San
Diego in 2001. These two teams are inexorably linked in the annuals of
professional football history.
1960s
When the Raiders began play in 1960 as part of the American Football League,
the Chargers were based in Los Angeles. Al Davis was an assistant coach with
the Chargers until he was hired as General Manager and Head Coach of the
Raiders in 1963. The Chargers dominated the series from 1960-1962 winning
the first six meetings between the two clubs. The Chargers also moved to San
Diego prior to the 1961 season. The Raiders rebounded to sweep the series in
1963, and split two close games in 1964. After a Chargers sweep in 1965, and
a split in 1966, the Raiders swept two of the next three season series with
San Diego. Even though the AFL was known for free-wheeling offenses and
vertical passing, Raiders match-ups with the Chargers were unusually high
scoring. The Raiders scored more than 40 points three times, and surpassed
50 points once vs. the Chargers from 1960-1969.
In one particular game in 1963, the Raiders erased a 20-10 halftime deficit
and erupted for 31 fourth quarter points to defeat San Diego 41-27 at Frank
Youell Field.
1970s
The 1970s were a time of change in professional football. The AFL merged
with the National Football League in 1970, a move spearheaded by Raiders
owner Al Davis. This decade would also be the one in which the Raiders vs.
Chargers rivalry would begin to get weird. After earning a win and a tie in
1970, the Raiders swept the series between the two teams each year from
1971-1976. The Silver and Black also earned four shutouts against the
Chargers during that time frame. The two teams split in 1977, with the
Raiders recording another shutout.
Then it happened. Former Raiders radio voice Bill King called it “an
impossible dream of a play.” Trailing 20-13 at San Diego, Raiders QB Kenny
Stabler dropped back to pass with little time left in the game. Chargers LB
Woodrow Lowe forced the left-handed Stabler to roll out to his right and hit
the Snake before he could throw a pass. The ball rolled 13 yards to the
Chargers 11, where running back Pete Banaszak batted it toward the goal
line. At the 5, quick thinking TE Dave Casper continued the ball's forward
progress with his foot before finally falling on it in the end zone for the
game-winning touchdown. Then-Raiders head coach John Madden drifted onto the
field with his hands raised in the air before being sent back to the
sidelines by the officials. The Raiders tacked on the extra point for a
21-20 victory. “The Holy Roller” prompted an NFL rule change outlawing
“forward” fumbles. Incidentally, the Raiders swept the 1978 season series.
The two rivals split the 1979 series.
1980s
The Raiders and Chargers continued to build the rivalry in the 1980s. The
two teams split in 1980, with the Raiders winning the rubber match in the
AFC Championship game en route to a 27-10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles
in Super Bowl XV. The Chargers swept the series in 1981, while the Raiders
captured the lone meeting in the strike-shortened 1982 season. That game was
one of the greatest in the history of Monday Night Football and the Raiders
franchise as the Silver and Black fought back from a 24-0 halftime deficit
to defeat the Chargers 28-24.
In 1983, the Raiders cruised to two victories over the Chargers en route to
a 38-9 victory over the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII. The Super
Bowl title was the Raiders third in eight years. In 1984, the Raiders swept
two close games against San Diego, while the two teams split in 1985. The
1986 Raiders swept another close pair of games against the Chargers, while
San Diego did the same to the Raiders in 1987. In 1988, the Raiders
continued their mastery of the rivalry with another sweep of the Chargers.
The 1989 Raiders blew the Chargers out on opening day, and San Diego
captured the second meeting 14-12.
The 1980s featured some great match-ups featuring QB Dan Fouts, TE Kellen
Winslow, WR Charlie Joiner and company facing off against the likes of QB
Jim Plunkett, TE Todd Christensen, RB Marcus Allen and DE Howie Long.
Several of the players who grew up in this rivalry are now in the Pro
Football Hall of Fame.
1990s
The rivalry between the Raiders and Chargers continued to grow and evolve in
the 1990s. The Chargers always featured a high-flying passing game, and the
Raiders were well known for stretching the field vertically. More NFL teams
followed this model and started airing it out. Dan Fouts and Air Coryell
gave way to Stan Humphries and a host of receivers, while the Raiders
brought in the resilient Jeff Hostetler and a crew of speed burners.
The Raiders kicked off the 1990s with a sweep of the Chargers en route to a
12-4 record and a berth in the AFC Championship game. The two teams split
the series in 1991, while the Chargers grabbed a sweep in 1992, and split
the series in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997. The Raiders swept the 1998
series in two very tight ballgames, and split two more close games in 1999.
Despite the high flying offenses, many of the Raiders vs. Chargers games
were low scoring, hard-hitting, defensive battles that were often decided
late in the fourth quarter.
2000s
The 2000 Raiders opened the season with a 9-6 victory over the Chargers at
Network Associates Coliseum. Later in the season, the Raiders grabbed a
15-13 victory at San Diego. In 2001, the Raiders swept the series again. The
second win, at San Diego, clinched a second-straight AFC West title for the
Silver and Black. The Chargers won a mid-season game in overtime at Oakland
in 2002, with the Raiders earning a split with a 27-7 win at San Diego in
the latter part of the season.
The Raiders lead the all-time series 53-31-2. These two AFC West rivals have
either lit up the scoreboard or pounded each other in defensive struggles -
there seems to be no in between. However, when these two teams meet,
something important always seems to be on the line, and you never know when
something weird might happen.