The Minnesota Vikings travel to Las Vegas this weekend for tomorrow’s game with the Raiders. Under the guidance of controversial owner Al Davis, the Raiders had something of a nomadic life. They got their start in Oakland as an original American Football League team. They played in Oakland from 1960-81. In something of a money grab, Davis took his team to Los Angeles and played there from 1982-94. Then, it was back to Oakland from 1995-2019. Davis’ kid, Marc Davis hauled the Raiders to Las Vegas in 2020. It’s been an interesting history. It’s also been a fairly successful history. The Raiders won an AFL title in 1967. They collected their first NFL title when they defeated the Vikings in Super Bowl XI. The Raiders collected titles two and three when they defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XV and Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII. The Raiders lost Super Bowl II to the Green Bay Packers and Super Bowl XXXVII to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Three Super Bowl wins in five Super Bowl appearances is a solid history. Their 1970s rivalry with the Steelers was a blast. Every game seemed to bring the best, and some of the worst, aspects of football to the field. The Vikings and Raiders have an interesting origin connection. In 1959, the Vikings were all set to become one of the original eight AFL teams. Shortly after participating in the inaugural draft of the new league, the Vikings were lured over to the NFL. A stunned AFL then turned to Oakland as a replacement for the Minnesota franchise. So, the Raiders existence is due to a decision made by the original Vikings owners. On the eve of the big game, here’s a look at some of the best players in the history of the Las Vegas/Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders.
Offense
Quarterback
Ken Stabler
Running Back
Marcus Allen
Fullback
Mark van Eeghen
Wide Receivers
Fred Biletnikoff
Tim Brown
Tight End
Dave Casper
Tackles
Art Shell
Lincoln Kennedy
Guards
Gene Upshaw
Steve Wisniewski
Center
Jim Otto
Defense
Defensive Ends
Howie Long
Maxx Crosby
Defensive Tackles
Tom Keating
Chester McGolckton
Linebackers
Ted Hendricks
Matt Millen
Phil Villapiano
Cornerbacks
Willie Brown
Mike Haynes
Safeties
Charles Woodson
Dave Grayson
Special Teams
Kicker
George Blanda
Punter
Ray Guy
Returner
Tim Brown
No comments:
Post a Comment