Post by TheShadow on Feb 18, 2006 22:05:53 GMT -5
www.raiders.com
The Raiders began play as a professional football franchise in 1960 as part
of the American Football League. The eight-team league was divided into
Eastern and Western Divisions. The Raiders, the Los Angeles Chargers, the
Denver Broncos, and the Dallas Texans were assigned to the Western Division.
Although no one knew it at the time, the four teams would develop some of
the most heated rivalries in professional sports history. The Chargers would
move to San Diego, and the Texans would move to Kansas City and become the
Chiefs, and the AFL would merge with the National Football League during the
next 10 years.
The Raiders opened the 1960 AFL season with a loss to the Houston Oilers
before playing their first division game against the Dallas Texans at home
at Kezar Stadium. Oakland fell 34-16 to the Texans in their first divisional
contest, but would pay the Texans back three weeks later at the Cotton Bowl.
The Raiders first divisional defeat and first divisional victory came
against the team that would move to Kansas City and become the Chiefs in
1963. Forty three years later, the Raiders and Chiefs continue a rivalry
that seems to become more hotly contested each time the two teams meet on
the gridiron. The Raiders hold a 42-41-2 edge in the series.
1960s
From 1960-1962, the Raiders posted a 9-33 record with only three victories
within the division. While the Texans were preparing to move to Kansas City,
the Raiders hired Al Davis to be the team's Head Coach and General Manager.
The positive effects of Mr. Davis' arrival were immediate. The team changed
its colors, uniforms and attitude. The then 33-year-old Davis wasted no time
in turning the Raiders into a consistent winner. Oakland went 10-4 in 1963,
splitting the season series with the Chiefs. After dropping both league
games to the Chiefs in 1964, the Raiders rebounded to split the series again
in 1965 and 1966. The Raiders breakthrough season came in 1967, as the
Silver and Black swept the Chiefs for the first time. Oakland captured the
franchise's first AFL Championship and earned a berth in Super Bowl II
against Green Bay. The Packers defeated the Raiders 33-14, however, the
Raiders were on their way to becoming professional football's most prolific
team.
In 1968, the Raiders split the season series with the Chiefs. The two teams
finished with identical 12-2 records and met in an AFL Playoff game. The
Raiders dominated the Chiefs 41-6 at the two-year old Oakland-Alameda County
Coliseum before falling to the New York Jets in the AFL title game. In 1969,
the Raiders swept the season series with the Chiefs by a total of seven
points.
In 1970, the AFL merged with the NFL and a new era of professional football
got underway. The AFL's Western Division became the NFL's American Football
Conference's Western Division. The move kept the burgeoning AFL West
rivalries intact.
1970s
In 1970, the Raiders tied with and defeated the Chiefs on their way to an
appearance in the first AFC Championship game. The Chiefs tied and defeated
the Raiders in 1971, and the two teams split the series again in 1972 and
1973. The Raiders swept the series in 1974 en route to the Silver and
Black's second straight AFC Championship appearance. Another split in 1975
preceded the Raiders third straight AFC Championship game. In 1976, the
Raiders swept the Chiefs and rolled into Pasadena for Super Bowl XI against
the Minnesota Vikings. After a dominating 32-14 victory, the Raiders had
their first World Championship of Professional Football. An unprecedented
fifth straight trip to the AFC Championship came at the end of the 1977
campaign after the Raiders swept the Chiefs in back-to-back seasons for the
first time. The Raiders made it three straight sweeps in 1978, while the
Chiefs swept the series in 1979 for the first time since 1964.
1980s
The Raiders continued to dominate the AFC West and the NFL in the early
1980s. After splitting the season series with the Chiefs in 1980, the
Raiders went on to capture the organization's second World Championship with
a 27-10 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XV. The Chiefs
came back to sweep the series in 1981, and coincidently, the Raiders failed
to make the playoffs. During the strike shortened 1982 season, the Raiders
defeated the Chiefs 21-16 at Kansas City in the teams' only meeting. In
1983, the Raiders swept the series again en route to the Silver and Black's
third World Championship which culminated with a 38-9 victory over the
Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII. The Raiders followed with another
sweep of the Chiefs in 1984. The two teams split the series in 1985, 1986
and 1987, with the Raiders finding the broom again in 1988, and misplacing
it for a split in 1989.
1990s
The Chiefs turned the tables in the early 1990s. A 28-7 victory in 1992, and
a 26-7 victory in 1996, were the lone highlights for the Raiders against the
Chiefs. There were plenty of close games during that 10-year span. In 1990,
The Chiefs swept the series by a total of five points. In 1991, the Chiefs
swept the series by nine points. Two 10-point losses to the Chiefs came in
1994. In 1995, the Chiefs swept the series by a total of 12 points. The
Chiefs captured three AFC Western division titles during the 1990s. The
final game of the 1999 season proved to be the turning point in the rivalry
for the Raiders.
2000s
On January 2, 2000, the Raiders defeated the Chiefs 41-38 in overtime at
Arrowhead Stadium. The game was a catalyst for the Raiders, as the Silver
and Black went on to a 12-4 record the next season and a berth in the AFC
Championship. The Raiders swept the Chiefs in 2000 and 2001, and split in
2002. Incredibly, the Raiders have gone 3-1 at Arrowhead Stadium since 1999.
The Raiders shut out the Chiefs for the first time in 85 meetings in the
2002 regular season finale. Since that overtime victory to end the 1999
season, the Raiders have won three straight AFC Western Division
Championships; have appeared in two AFC Championship games and one Super
Bowl. The Chiefs last appeared in a Super Bowl after the 1969 season.
Since 1960, the Chiefs have won six AFL/AFC Western Division titles and have
appeared in two Super Bowls posting a 1-1 record. During the same time
period, the Raiders have won 16 AFL/AFC Western Division titles and have
appeared in five Super Bowls posting a 3-2 record.
The Kansas City Chiefs/Oakland Raiders rivalry is proof that winning in your
division is paramount to any team's success.