Quote:
Originally Posted by Silver_Fox
. It's disrespectful to put the Raiders in the same class as those teams.
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Some FUN FACTS about the Oakland Raiders:
--One of their Super Bowl wins was during a strike-shortened season.
--Davis held the city of Oakland hostage because they wouldn't sink hundreds of millions into Oakland Coliseum for luxury boxes, during a recession that crippled the city. So, ala Art Modell, he moved the team to L.A....a move he planned from the start as shown in the antitrust hearings.
--Davis moved the team back to Oakland in 1995 after the Board of Supervisors approved a quarter-million dollar deal to improve the stadium--a deal which also included a training facility, free maintenance and operating costs, and a sweet rent deal...one of the cheapest ever.
--After arguing with coach John Gruden over play calling, Davis fired his coach, then covered it up by calling it a planned trade with Tampa Bay. New, Davis-approved coach Bill Callahan took the reigns, using Gruden's playbook and personnel, he led the team to their next Super Bowl. Where they lost to...you guessed it: the Gruden-coached Buccaneers.
--Raider merchandise sales peaked in the late Seventies and early Eighties...when the Raiders were involved in heated rivalries with the Denver Broncos and the Pittsburgh Steelers. But sales following the move declined sharply. Many claim this was another major factor in Davis' move back to Oakland.
--After Callahan's second season without Gruden's cheat sheets resulted in a losing record, Davis hired and fired a total of five different coaches in seven seasons.
--The Raiders' most famous addition to NFL lore and laws occurred in 1978, when TE Dave Casper faked trying to retrieve a fumble, kicking the football into the end zone for a TD and victory against the Chargers. The move became outlawed and to this day is referred to as the Dave Casper Rule.
--The current HGR and steroid issues prevalent in sports grew out of the Oakland Raider BALCO scandals in the mid-90s. The company provided such drugs to sports stars everywhere, but it took a class-action involving several former Raider players to bring it to the forefront.
--Since 2002, the Raiders have failed to finish higher than third place in their division. During that time, they have never finished above .500, only reaching .500 one time.