Monday, February 22, 2010

How The Raiders Came To Oaktown


Like most Raiders fans I miss football season. Sure we only won five games, but you know our motto; Win, Lose or Tie!

So to pass the time until the NFL draft comes around I figured I'd brush up on my Raiders history. It never ceases to amaze me that just when I think I know Oakland Raiders history fact from fiction, I discover something new.

I came across this blog post titled "How The Raiders Came To Oakland." I'd once read about the AFL/NFL in the late 50's early 60'scompeting to enroll cities for football franchises. I knew that the AFL Chiefs were originally in Dallas until the NFL setup the Cowboys in the same city to drive business away from the Chiefs. Instead, it pushed the Chiefs to find a new home in Kansas City. As for our Oakland Raiders, it would be another NFL franchise that we can thank for opening the door to a Silver & Black franchise being granted in the bay.

Here's the beginning of the post with a link to the full story:
Raider Nation has the Minnesota Vikings to thank for Oakland ever having a team. When the American Football League (AFL) was being formed in late 1959 - early 1960, Minnesota was one of the cities ready to join the new league. The AFL was being formed by Lamar Hunt and other investors who had made numerous unsuccessful attempts to get an expansion team from the NFL for their city. read the full story

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