The Oakland Raiders are one of the most popular and most hated teams in the National Football League. Fans of the team feel that there is something genuine about the legendary silver and black mystique that surrounds it. The team has been a part of many of the most memorable plays and games in professional soccer history. Legend has it that many rules, from the rule prohibiting the use of Stick-um to the rule regarding the use of helmet as a weapon, were established specifically because of the Oakland Raiders. A lot is known about the franchise, but here are five things you probably don’t know about the Oakland Raiders.

1. Raiders running back Marcus Allen was the first player in NFL history to gain 10,000+ rushing yards and 5,000+ receiving yards during his career.

2. By the time Raiders head coach John Madden retired as coach, he had coached in the league for ten years, won a Super Bowl ring, would finally be elected to the Football Hall of Fame American Professional and was the youngest coach to reach 100 wins. Surprisingly, he was also only 42 years old.

3. The Raiders franchise is the only NFL team to win championships in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

4. During the team’s second season of play in 1961, the Oakland Raiders played their home games across the bay at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park.

5. The Raiders’ victory in Super Bowl XV over the Philadelphia Eagles allowed them to become the first Wild Card team to win the big game.

From Al Davis’s sometimes weird and sometimes almost genius moves and strategies to the team’s coaches and players, the personalities that surround the Raiders have always been a big part of the team. Some of the most famous players to have worn the silver and black include Jim Otto, Fred Biletnikoff, George Blanda, Willie Brown, Art Shell, Gene Upshaw, Marcus Allen, Ted Hendricks, Howie Long, Mike Haynes, Dave Casper, Lyle Alzado, Randy Moss, Jim Plunkett, Lester Hayes, Ray Guy, Pete Banaszak, Cliff Branch, Tim Brown, Bo Jackson, Rocket Ismail, Jerry Rice, Warren Sapp, Otis Sistrunk, Ken Stabler, Jack Tatum, Greg Townsend, Daryle Lamonica, Todd Christensen, Kerry Collins, Tom Flores, John Matuszak, Mark Van Eeghen, Rich Gannon, Tyrone Wheatley, Charles Woodson, Matt Millen, and Bob Golic. With characters and players like this, it’s easy to see how the Raiders have made their mark on the National Football League. The Oakland Raiders are one of the NFL’s irreplaceable franchises, and love them or hate them, the league is better off for their existence.

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