Show your support to your favorite team and bring with you a piece of history anywhere you go by wearing your Oakland Raiders paracord bracelet!
About the Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were founded on January 30, 1960. They are based in Oakland, California and play their home games in Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
The Raiders played their first regular season game as a member of the American Football League on September 11, 1960. They are currently a member of the NFL which merged with the AFL in 1970. At the end of the NFL’s 2016 season, the Raiders have a regular season record of 456 wins, 401 losses, and 11 ties. They have a playoff record of 25 wins and 19 losses.
From 1970 – 1977, the Raiders have won six division titles and have reached the AFC Championship Game six times. They’ve won their first Super Bowl Championship in 1977 after defeating the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI. In 1981, the Raiders captured their second Super Bowl Championship after defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XV. In 1984, they have won their third and last Super Bowl Championship when they defeated the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII.
Since winning their 3rd Super Bowl Championship in 1984, the Raiders have won just one division title and two playoff games from 1986 – 1994. They have won three consecutive division titles and four playoff games from 2000 – 2002. They have lost to Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII.
From 2003 through 2015, the Raiders have failed to get into the playoffs and in 2016 they have finally ended their postseason drought. They have finished with a record of 12-4 and unfortunately they have lost to the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
On March 27, 2017 during the annual meetings in Phoenix, Arizona, NFL team owners have approved the Raiders’ application for the team to be relocated in Las Vegas, Nevada, the vote is 31-to-1.
Logo History
1960 – 1962
The Raiders’ first logo is a Raider pirate wearing a football helmet with an eye patch and a gold football as a background. There are two white swords in black trim with gold handles crossed behind the football.
1963
The Raiders’ logo was changed in 1963. The new logo still featured a Raider pirate wearing a football helmet with an eye patch and two crossed swords in the back. The gold football was removed and the black and gold color scheme was changed to silver and black color scheme. The wordmark “THE OAKLAND RAIDERS” were added at the top.
1964 – Present
The new logo featured a black shield that has the wordmark “RAIDERS” and below the wordmark is a head of a Raider with a black eye patch covering his right eye wearing a football helmet. Behind the Raider are two crossed cutlasses with handles up and cutting edge down.
Some Facts About the Raiders
- The Raiders became the first Wild Card team to win the Super Bowl after defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XV.
- The Raiders are the only team to win a championship in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
- Oakland Raiders’ team colors were originally black, gold, and white. When Al Davies joined the team in 1963, he changed the team color to black and silver.
- The Raiders played in Los Angeles as The Los Angeles Raiders for 13 seasons before moving back to Oakland.
- John Madden had coached the Raiders for ten years and never had a losing record.
- In his ten years as a coach for the Raiders, John Madden and his team have finished first seven times in their division and finishing 2nd place for the other three seasons.
- The Raiders were the first team to hire a Hispanic Head Coach (Tom Flores) and an African-American Head Coach (Art Shell).
- The Raiders are the first and only team to play in the Super Bowl in four different decades.
- There is an area in the coliseum known as “The Black Hole” where the rowdiest and most elaborately dressed Raiders fans sit.
- The Raiders do not retire jersey numbers of former players.
- There were three Raiders who had a double digit amount of rushing touchdowns during the 1980s, they are: Marcus Allen (63), Frank Hawkins (15), and Bo Jackson (11).
The Raider Nation
Fans of the Oakland Raiders are known as the Raider Nation. The name was originated by a fan named Jim Hudson in the 1990s when the Raiders returned to Oakland from Los Angeles. Jim Hudson also created the Raider Nation website as a rallying point for the return of the Raiders to Oakland to revive the memory of the original Oakland Raiders.
Better to Reign in Hell is a book written by San Diego English professor Jim Miller and Kelly Mayhew who are both Raiders fans. The devotion of the fans for the team is documented in the book.
Some Raiders fans are known for dressing in elaborate costumes as a way to show their support to the team. You can also show your support to the team just by wearing your Oakland Raiders paracord bracelet.
