Oakland Raiders: 30 Iconic Moments In Franchise History

Nov 15, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Members of the Armed Forces light a torch in honor of Al Davis before the start of the game between the Oakland Raiders and the Minnesota Vikings at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland Raiders, one of football’s most storied franchises, with a long, proud, and colorful history filled with great and iconic moments – here are just a few of them.

When you’re a team like the Raiders, formed and shaped by a maverick, an outlaw, and a genius like Al Davis, you should expect that you’re going to have some terrific moments to reflect upon in your franchise’s history. The Raiders have just that.

The Raiders have been involved in some of the NFL’s most memorable and iconic plays – plays, some of them decades old, that are still shown on ESPN highlight shows or in video histories of the league. Al Davis casts a long shadow over the league, even now, years after his death. His influence and passion for the game of football can still be felt.

Nowhere is that passion felt more than within the franchise Davis helped mold and shape. Commitment to Excellence. Just Win, Baby. Pride and Poise. There have been plenty of jokes about those mottoes, but those words are the guiding philosophy that still influence everything the organization does.

Yes, for a while there, it seemed that Davis and his franchise lost their way. So desperate was Davis to capture one more ring in his lifetime, that he appeared to sacrifice his principles. But now, under new leadership, Mark Davis, Reggie McKenzie, and Jack Del Rio, the Raiders are getting back to their roots. They’re getting back to instilling the culture that made the Raiders great and one of the NFL’s most storied, most iconic franchises.

But you can’t look at the future without paying homage to the past. So then, let’s look back through the history of this franchise and take a look at some of the great and most iconic moments in the organization’s history.

Next: October 20, 1980