Raiders QB Charlie Frye dives over the pylon for a touchdown during the 2009 preseason match-up between the Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers. Photo by Tony Gonzales.
As we approach the training camp days of August
that means one thing for members of the Raider Nation - preseason action is right around the corner. The long anticipated season for fans of the Silver and Black begins August 12th when the Raiders travel to Dallas to face the Cowboys. The Raiders first home game of the 2010 campaign will be August 28th against the San Francisco 49ers. The Raiders and 49ers rivalry stretches far deeper than the confines of a football field. "The Battle of the Bay" features two teams which travel a mere 38 miles to face one another.
The rivalry, which dates back to the 1970s, is sure to guarantee fan fervor on both sides. The two teams do not meet often in the regular season, but will face off twice this year…once in the preseason and once in the regular.
The preseason series is hotly contested with the Raiders holding a 19-18 edge. The Raiders also hold a slight edge in regular season match-ups, 6-5. The first meeting took place during the 1967 preseason. The first regular season match-up came in 1970.
As we gear up for the upcoming season, we take a look back at some of the moments from this unique rivalry.
1970s
In the 1970s
capturing six AFC Western Division championships and a Super Bowl XI win. The Battle of the Bay demonstrated the balance of power. The Silver and Black took two victories when the teams met in the pre- and regular seasons in 1974 and 1979.
1980s
The Silver and Black won a World Championship for the second time in five years by defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10 in Super Bowl XV. The series changed a bit in 1982 when the Raiders relocated to Los Angeles. Despite the distance, the rivalry continued. After opening the 1982 preseason win at San Francisco, the Raiders opened the regular season by traveling to Candlestick Park to dethrone a reigning Super Bowl championship team in a hard fought 23-17 victory in favor of the Silver and Black. The year of 1983 was yet again a special year for members of the Raiders organization. The campaign began with a 26-23 preseason win over the 49ers in overtime, and the Raiders went on to win their third World Championship defeating the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII.
1990s – 2000s
On September 29th, 1991 the Battle of the Bay took center stage in front of a record NFL crowd of 92,488. The Silver and Black came away with a regular season victory on their home turf by a score of 12-6. In 1995
the Silver and Black returned to Oakland and the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum and the two rivals were again separated by a bridge. The year 2000 brought the ninth regular season meeting between the two neighbors. The game resulted in a 34-28 overtime win for the AFC Championship-game bound Raiders over the 49ers in one of the most thrilling regular season games in the series.
The teams have split the last six meetings in the preseason series with the Raiders winning the last two meetings in Oakland.
