sport historian
Master
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2004
- Messages
- 2,953
Long-time bay area columnist, Glenn ****ey, just wrote a piece (http://www.sfexaminer.com/sports/nfl/2011/10/raiders-have-always-been-oakland-s-team) titled "Raiders Have Always Been Oakland's Team."
****ey was a beat writer for the Raiders in the late sixties. He loved the players on those teams. He writes:
"By the late '60s, they were not only winners, but a very unorthodox team, reflecting Davis's rebellious nature, with colorful players such as Ken Stabler, Dan Birdwell and Marv Hubbard. But they also had solid citizens such as Willie Brown, Fred Biletnikoff, Ben Davidson and Tom Keating who worked very hard at football."
Diavis then moved the team to Los Angeles were they never had the popularity he wanted. The Rams were always higher on the pecking order even when the Raiders were in the playoffs.
In 1995, Oakland officials managed to convine Davis to come back to Oakland. ****ey writes:
"But this was not the team that had left. The Raiders were full of lazy, overweight players-Chester McGlocklin was the poster boy. It wasn't until Jon Gruden came in and got rid of the underproducers, most notably Jeff George for Rich Gannon, that the Raiders became winners again."
"The fan base had changed, too. Gone were the solid, middle class citizens who had rooted for their team but respected the rights of those around them. In their place were...well, you know."
****ey was a beat writer for the Raiders in the late sixties. He loved the players on those teams. He writes:
"By the late '60s, they were not only winners, but a very unorthodox team, reflecting Davis's rebellious nature, with colorful players such as Ken Stabler, Dan Birdwell and Marv Hubbard. But they also had solid citizens such as Willie Brown, Fred Biletnikoff, Ben Davidson and Tom Keating who worked very hard at football."
Diavis then moved the team to Los Angeles were they never had the popularity he wanted. The Rams were always higher on the pecking order even when the Raiders were in the playoffs.
In 1995, Oakland officials managed to convine Davis to come back to Oakland. ****ey writes:
"But this was not the team that had left. The Raiders were full of lazy, overweight players-Chester McGlocklin was the poster boy. It wasn't until Jon Gruden came in and got rid of the underproducers, most notably Jeff George for Rich Gannon, that the Raiders became winners again."
"The fan base had changed, too. Gone were the solid, middle class citizens who had rooted for their team but respected the rights of those around them. In their place were...well, you know."