On this date in 1960, the American Football League awarded the eighth spot in their newly-founded league to an ownership group based in Oakland, Calif.
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| Eddie Erdelatz (right) was the first head coach in Raiders franchise history. |
Just over a week later on February 9, Eddie Erdelatz was named the first head coach of the club, and on July 31 the team played their first preseason game against the Dallas Texans, then opened the regular season on September 11, falling at home to the Houston Oilers 37-22.
The course of the organization would change forever on January 15, 1963, as Al Davis was named the head coach and general manager of the Raiders.
That year, under the guidance of Mr. Davis, the Raiders finished the season 10-4 and had their first winning season in franchise history.
In the early stages of the Raiders history, the team played their home games at several locations including Kezar Stadium, Candlestick Park and Frank Youell Field, but on February 1, 1965, construction began on the 54,000-seat Oakland Coliseum which opened in 1966.
The next season, in 1967, the Raiders finished the year with a 13-1 record and routed the Houston Oilers 40-7 to win the AFL Championship.
Throughout the 55-year history of the organization, the Silver and Black have won three Super Bowls, five conference championship and won their division 15 times, while producing 22 Hall of Famers.
The franchise's all-time regular record currently stands at 437-388-11.
