Art Powell: The Original Great Wide Receiver for Oakland

    Art Powell came to the Raiders in 1963.  Al Davis had just became the teams head coach and after three disastrous seasons the Raiders all-time record stood at 9-33.  But with a healthy quarterback in Tom Flores, a solid runner in Clem Daniels and the All-Star receiver in Powell the Raiders turned everything around.  In 1962 the Raiders record stood at 1-13 but in 1963 the Raider posted 10-4 record which is one of the more remarkable turnarounds in pro football history.

    Powell was the ultimate receiver, he had the size, speed and ability to make huge plays all over the field.  In 1963 Art Powell scored 16 touchdowns and caught 73 passes for 1394 yards!! This all took place in just 14 games!!  Art continued his brilliance both on and off the field leading Oakland back but the team had problems at quarterback because Tom Flores was out of the lineup so much.  In 1967, both Flores and Powell were traded to Buffalo for quarterback Daryl Lamonica and the Raiders went on to Super Bowl II.  Powell and Flores both slowly faded from existence but their accomplishments in the Raiders first winning season is overlooked by so many fans.  Powell is still the Raiders 7th leading receiver of all-time and should be a member of any fans all-time Raider team! Remember that Art did all of these things in 14 game seasons and he scored 50 touchdowns in just 4 seasons in Oakland.   I have complied Arts career stats as a Raider and through them you should see his ability and you should wonder why this man, like Clem Daniels is so overlooked in Raider history.

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