Bay Area vs. Los Angeles Rivalry: Ranking the Top 10 Moments of All-Time
By Eric He
L.A. Raiders running back Marcus Allen (32) sprints away from Seahawks defenders during the 1983 AFC Championship Game on Jan. 8, 1984, in Los Angeles. The Raiders won 30-14 and advanced to the Super Bowl. (George Rose/Getty Images)
9. Raiders Move to LA and Back – 1982-1995
Los Angeles doesn’t have a pro football team. So, perhaps if you walk through the streets of LA, you’ll find a few people dressed in Raiders gear, remembering when the Silver and Black once called their city home.
Fed up with the lack of renovations at the Coliseum in Oakland, Al Davis forcefully moved the Raiders down south in 1982, and in just their second season in LA, they won the Super Bowl with Marcus Allen leading the way:
Ironically, it would be stadium issues that made Davis move back to Oakland. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was also pretty old, and lacked the amenities that Davis wished for when he relocated. Also, the LA Raiders rarely filled the 95,000-seat stadium to capacity, resulting in numerous blackouts.
All that led to Davis bringing the Raiders back to Oakland in 1995, and they are still here today.
Pro football may be the only sport that Bay Area and Los Angeles fans hold a common cheering interest in, because, well, LA doesn’t have an NFL team (we’ll keep rubbing that in).
The Raiders may not be projected to win many games next season, but it is guaranteed to be more than any of the LA teams will win.