The Oakland Raiders Obliterate Opponents on the Gridiron
Everyone loves a good story. When we are children, our parents would read us storybooks that would take our imaginations to magical places. Later, we learn to appreciate novels and movies with complex plots. Though the format is different, a good story remains the essence of those media. Even organizations can have storied histories that probably could not have been more dramatic if they were in a fictitious made-for-TV movie. These histories remind us that indeed, sometimes "truth is stranger than fiction."
This is the case for the Oakland Raiders. During wartime, raiders plunder ships at sea and destroy the enemy’s supplies. Throughout their history, the Oakland Raiders have destroyed many opponents on the gridiron. Today’s Oakland Raiders franchise was nearly born as the AFL’s Minnesota Raiders, and then as the Atlanta Raiders. Instead, the team eventually settled in the Bay Area. On September 11, 1960, the Raiders lost their season opener to the Houston Oilers, 37-22. Unfortunately, their first season was equally unsuccessful, with the Raiders’ earning a 6-8 record and finding themselves in financially dire situation.
Throughout their history, the Raiders have done more moving than a snail. From San Francisco, they moved to Oakland. From 1960-1981, "Oakland" appeared on Raiders’ Sports Team Merchandise. Then from 1982-1994, the Raiders played in, and represented Los Angeles. However, after 13 unproductive years in the City of Angels, the Raiders moved back to Oakland, where they have remained since.
RAIDERS IN THE SUPER BOWL
The Raiders’ Super Bowl history mirrors the intrigue of its overall team history.
Super Bowl II (1967):
The Oakland Raiders (13-1) faced the Green Bay Packers (9-4-1) and head coach Vince Lombardi. The Packers were attempting to win back-to-back Super Bowls. They hit the ground running, taking a quick 13-0 lead. While the Raiders scored a TD, by halftime the Packers were still up, 16-7.
The Packers hopped into the driver’s seat in the second half, going ahead 23-7. Though the Raiders scored another TD in the second half, it was too little and too late. The Packers tacked on another 10 points to seal the deal for Coach Lombardi.
FINAL SCORE: PACKERS 33, RAIDERS 14
Super Bowl XI (1976):
This was the Vikings’ fourth trip to the Super Bowl, so they and their fans sporting NFL Products were hoping for a different outcome this time: a victory. The Raiders missed a field goal, and then the Vikings fumbled on the Raiders’ 3-yard-line. However, the rest of the quarter was all Raiders, as they took a 16-0 lead going into halftime. The second half was more balanced, with the Raiders outscoring the Vikings 16-14. However, the Vikings simply had too many turnovers and missed opportunities.
FINAL SCORE: RAIDERS 32, VIKINGS 14
Super Bowl XV (1980):
In this Super Bowl, the Raiders (11-5) were attempting to become the first wild-card team to become Super Bowl victors. They faced the Philadelphia Eagles (12-4). After Eagle’s quarterback Ron Jaworski threw an interception on his first toss, the Raiders scored on a pass from QB Jim Plunkett to Cliff Branch. The Raiders scored another TD, while the Eagles went one-for-two on field goal attempts. Both teams jogged into their locker rooms at halftime, with the Raiders leading 14-3.
The Eagles continued to make mistakes in the second half, and the Raiders continued to capitalize on them. They outscored the Eagles 17-7, preventing any chance of a Philadelphia comeback.
FINAL SCORE: RAIDERS 27, EAGLES 10
Super Bowl XVIII (1983):
This Super Bowl, the Washington Redskins (14-2) were attempting to win back-to-back Super Bowls. They faced the Raiders (12-4) and their cheering fans sporting Oakland Raiders Merchandise. During the regular season, the Redskins had edged the Raiders, 37-35. This time, the Raiders obliterated the Redskins. The Raiders Running Back Marcus Allen had an outstanding game. He rushed for 191 yards on just 20 carries, and caught two passes for 18 yards.
The end was in the beginning for the Redskins. After their first drive, the Raiders blocked the Redskins’ punt, and recovered the ball in the Redskins’ endzone, for a TD. The Redskins never recovered. Before halftime, they missed a field goal and the Raiders scored a touchdown off a Joe Theismann interception. The Raiders were up 21-3 at halftime.
Afterwards, the Redskins continued to make mistakes and miss opportunities in the second half. This was greatly due to the Raiders getting the job done on both sides of the ball. That included a blocked extra point, an interception off Theismann, and a forced fumble by the Redskins’ QB.
FINAL SCORE: RAIDERS 38, REDSKINS 9
Super Bowl XXXVII (2002):
The Tampa Buccaneers destroyed the Raiders in this Super Bowl. Their defense limited the Raiders’ rushing game to a mere 19 yards. The Bucs also intercepted Rich Gannon, the Raiders’ QB, five times. This deflated Raiders fans, including those whose vehicles sported Oakland Raiders Car Accessories. That included three INTs that they ran back for TDs. After the game seemed close at 3-3, the Bucs’ began dominating on both offense and defense. By halftime, they were leading 20-3. After going up 34-3 in the second half, the rest, as they say, was history. The Raiders scored 18 points in the second half, but they took two steps back with every one step forward. The Bucs scored two TDs off Gannon interceptions.
FINAL SCORE: BUCS 48, RAIDERS 21
RAIDERS HALL OF FAME COACHES
John Madden (1969-1978)
Before he was a famous sportscaster and video game icon, John Madden coached the Oakland Raiders. Madden coached the team for a decade, with an amazing regular season record of 103-32-7. His .759 winning percentage is the highest among head coaches with at least 100 victories during their career. His teams earned 7 titles in the Western Division, and a victory in Super Bowl XI.
RAIDERS HALL OF FAME PLAYERS
Notable Hall of Fame Raiders include:
Marcus Allen
Howie Long
Art Shell
Gene Upshaw
This December, use Oakland Raiders Christmas Decorations to celebrate past and present Raiders all-star players.
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