Raider Nation
The Raider Nation is the unofficial name for the fans of the NFL's Oakland Raiders. They are particularly associated with a section of the Oakland Coliseum known as the 'black hole' (sections 104, 105, 106, and 107) which is usually occupied by rowdy fans. The origin of the name is obscure; certainly it was in vogue during the early 1980s, when Raider fans from the San Francisco Bay Area were forced to travel to Los Angeles or elsewhere to watch their team.
Why the Oakland Raiders would have such a dedicated fan base is not clear. The city's working-class background is cited, as is the influence of "outlaw" owner Al Davis. The team's aggressive style of play during the 1970s and 1980s,[2] when the Raiders won their three Super Bowls, is also mentioned. Members of the Raider Nation take pride in their image; Hunter S. Thompson, a Raider fan in the last years of his life, wrote, "The massive Raider Nation is beyond doubt the sleaziest and rudest and most sinister mob of thugs and wackos ever assembled."[3]
The team's fans devotion is chronicled in "Better to Reign in Hell," a book written by San Diego English professors Jim Miller and Kelly Mayhew, who are also Raider fans.[3]
The Raider fans were the original fan base to use "Nation" in their title. Since, other professional sports team's fan bases have copied the theme and put "Nation" in their title. One of the first to copy the Raider Nation, were the Red Sox fans, calling themselves the "Red Sox Nation."
Raiders Lore
Since the founding of the Oakland Raiders in 1960, it has grown into one of the most successful franchises in the NFL. Largely through the efforts of NFL Films and many sportswriters, some events have become famous in the history of the franchise amongst its dedicated fanbase.
The following is a selected list of memorable plays and events that are considered common knowledge by Raider fans.
1960s
- The Heidi Game (November 17, 1968, New York Jets vs. Oakland Raiders)
- The Lateral (December 29, 1968, Oakland Raiders vs. New York Jets, [[AFL Championship Game)[4]
1970s
- The Brawl (November 1, 1970, Oakland raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs}[5]
- The Immaculate Reception (December 23, 1972, Oakland Raiders vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, AFC Divisional Playoff Game)[6]
- The Sea of Hands (December 21, 1974, Miami Dolphins vs. Oakland Raiders, AFC Divisional Playoff Game)[7]
- Ben Dreith Game (December 18, 1976, Oakland Raiders vs. New England Patriots, AFC Divisional Playoff Game)[9]
- Ghost to the Post (December 24, 1977, Oakland Raiders vs. Baltimore Colts, AFC Divisional Playoff Game)
- The Whistle (January 1, 1978, Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos, AFC Championship Game)
- The Hit (August 12, 1978, Oakland Raiders vs. New England Patriots[10][11][12] [13][14]
- The Holy Roller (September 10, 1978, Oakland Raiders vs. San Diego Chargers)
1980s
- Red Right 88 (January 4, 1981, Oakland Raiders vs. Cleveland Browns, AFC Divisional Playoff Game)
- Judgment Day (January 11, 1981, Oakland Raiders vs. San Diego Chargers, AFC Championship Game) [15][16]
- The Cutback (January 22, 1984, Los Angeles Raiders vs. Washington Redskins, Super Bowl XVIII}[17][18][19][20]
- Bo Knows Monday Night Football (November 30, 1987, Los Angeles Raiders vs. Seattle Seahawks)[21]
1990s
- Napoleon's Day (October 19, 1997, Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos)
2000s
- The Goose is Loose (January 13, 2001, Oakland Raiders vs. Baltimore Ravens, AFC Championship Game).[23]
- The Old Man (January 12, 2002, Oakland Raiders vs. New York Jets, AFC Wild Card Playoff Game)[24]
- Tuck Rule Game (January 19, 2002, Oakland Raiders vs. New England Patriots, AFC Divisional Playoff Game)[25]
- The 76 Yard Field-Goal Attempt (September 29, 2008, Oakland Raiders vs. San Diego Chargers}[26][27]
- The Pigeon (October 17, 2009, Oakland Raiders vs. Philadelphia Eagles)[28]
2010s
- The Revival (October 10, 2010, Oakland Raiders vs. San Diego Chargers)[29]
- Mile High Massacre (October 24, 2010, Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos)[30][31]
- The Snatch (November 7, 2010, 2010, Oakland Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs)[32]
- The Interception (October 9, 2011, Oakland Raiders vs. Houston Texans)[33][34][35]
Players
Nicknames of Former Raiders
Awards Named After Former Raiders
References
- ^ a b "Atlanta Falcons vs. Oakland Raiders - Box Score - November 02, 2008"
- ^ Mills, Roger (25 January 2003). "Raider nation No matter how far-flung Raider fans are, they remain united by a fierce and belligerent loyalty". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
- ^ a b Briggs, Bill (22 December 2005). "Raider Nation Bronco fans hate them - and they love it". Denver Post. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
- ^ http://www.mmbolding.com/BSR/fbchampionships/AFL1968.html
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Len_Dawson
- ^ "The house that the 'Immaculate Reception' built". The Sporting News. 2000. Retrieved 2006-10-03.
- ^ "Raiders Drown Dolphins 28-26 in 'Sea of Hands'". Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2006-10-05.
- ^ http://www.rayguy.net/fact.html
- ^ http://www.nesn.com/2011/10/al-davis-raiders-forever-linked-in-controversy-with-patriots-by-tuck-rule-randy-moss-ben-dreith.html
- ^ Top Super Bowl Plays – Defense/Special Teams Retrieved April 2, 2006.
- ^ The Assassin and the Reverend: Remembering the late Jack Tatum by Peter Richmond Sports Illustrated Retrieved August 1, 2010.
- ^ Schudel, Matt (July 28, 2010). "Jack Tatum dies; Oakland Raiders 'Assassin' was 61". The Washington Post.
- ^ The Healer: No String Of Bitterness by Ron Burges Boston Globe Retrieved April 1, 2006.
- ^ Jason Cole (2007-04-06). "Sorrow not guilt". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2007-04-06.
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980%E2%80%9381_NFL_playoffs#AFC_Championship:_Oakland_Raiders_34.2C_San_Diego_Chargers_27
- ^ http://www.raiders.com/news/article-1/Greatest-Moments-1980-AFC-Championship/441a0dc2-4157-4094-894d-f30510868aca
- ^ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0905/sports.feuds/content.26.html
- ^ http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/history/recap/sbxviii
- ^ http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/lists/Top-10-Super-Bowl-Best-Plays#photo-title=Super%20Bowl%20XVIII%20-%20Marcus%20Allen%27s%20cutback&photo=26309050
- ^ http://www.npr.org/2011/10/09/141192283/oakland-raiders-al-davis-a-true-legend-of-the-game
- ^ http://espn.go.com/classic/s/jacksonboadd.html
- ^ http://www.raiders.com/news/article-1/Kaufman%E2%80%99s-227-Rushing-Yards-Propel-Raiders-Past-Broncos-28-25/32045bb3-3890-4e05-90d8-e885a3627aad
- ^ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/2001/playoffs/news/2001/01/14/raiders_out_ap/
- ^ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/2002/playoffs/news/2002/01/12/jets_raiders_ap/
- ^ http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/020121
- ^ http://www.sbnation.com/2008/9/29/1641724/lane-kiffin-no-longer-interested
- ^ http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Raiders-attempt-76-yard-field-goal?urn=nfl-111044
- ^ http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/sports/Pigeon-Joins-Raiders-to-Soar-Past-Eagles-64757952.html
- ^ http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=301010013
- ^ http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2010/12/24/re-focused-week-15-broncos-at-raiders/
- ^ http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=301024007
- ^ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/gameflash/2010/11/07/4060_recap.html
- ^ http://www.csnbayarea.com/blog/raiders-talk/post/-?blockID=575880
- ^ http://www.marinij.com/raiders/ci_19100112
- ^ http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=311009034
External Links
