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The Raiders are among the most controversial teams in NFL due
to their daring involvement in various lawsuits, the most recent being the
dispute with the city of Oakland, in which the Raiders asserted that they
will market all of their home games in order to modernize their home
stadium. The Raiders started playing on a professional level on
30th January 1960 after receiving the
authorization by the AFL. After playing for a decade as an AFL team, the
Riders joined the NFL following the merger of AFL and NFL. For two decades
from mid 60’s to mid 80’s the Raiders remained an unprecedented team. Eddie
Erdelatz became the first Raiders coach
and Tony Teresa the first Raider to rush 100 yards.
The
Raiders after encountering a slump in their stats in their initial three
seasons headed towards victory in 1977, 1981 and 1984 by being victorious in
Super Bowl XI, Super Bowl XV and Super Bowl XVIII.
Under
the defined management of John Madden as head coach, they competed is seven
league championships and won their first Super Bowl in 1977. Al Davis who
was employed as the Raiders head coach and general manager in 1963 shifted
the Raiders to Los Angeles in 1983, where the Raiders started playing as Los
Angeles Raiders. For one full decade starting from 80’s to 90’s, the Raiders
faced the period of struggle and downfall both on the field and off the
field. Signing of Bo Jackson in 1983 enraged team’s NFL Rookie of the Year
of 1982 and MVP of Super Bowl XVIII who went on to play with Kansas City
Chiefs. He resigned from the Raiders team because of Al Davis’s special
treatment towards Bo Jackson. The team rebound to become competitive in 1990
under the invigilation of Coach Art Shell. The star players of that era
including receiver Tim Brown, Eric Dickerson and Ronnie Lott became the Hall
of Fame inductee for their outstanding contributions. In July 1995, the Los
Angeles Raiders agreed to return to
Oakland
on the condition to renovate the Coliseum according to their convenience.
Major renovations were done to the Coliseum in 1995 to bring the Raiders
back home. In 1999, Rich Gannon joined the team as a free agent. In his
rookie season only he was voted to the Pro Bowl. Rich Gannon, Jerry Rice,
Charles Woodson, and Warren Sapp also formed the star studded team in late
1990s. Rice has the distinction of scoring the most TDs than any other
football player. He also holds almost every career record for receivers.
Cornerback Charles Woodson became the first and only defensive player to
earn the Heisman Trophy. Warren Sapp is acknowledged for his ability to put
several defenders out of action. The Raiders finished the 2004-2005 season
with a 5-11 record registering the second straight losing season. |
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