Former Raiders Fullback Mark van Eeghen
Sunday afternoon, the Oakland Raiders played host to the San Diego Chargers at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Overall, it was a tightly contested game and had several highlights. One of the highlights came prior to kickoff when former Raiders fullback Mark van Eeghen lit the commemorative Al Davis memorial torch.
van Eeghen was drafted by Davis back in 1974 at 22 years of age, and was a member of the Silver and Black for eight seasons. During those eight years, he rushed for 5,907 yards and had 35 rushing touchdowns. Van Eeghen's numbers place him as the Raiders second-leading rusher all-time, only trailing Marcus Allen.
In Super Bowl XV, the veteran fullback rushed for a game-high 75 yards on 18 carries, and also helped the Raiders win Super Bowl XI against the Minnesota Vikings.
van Eeghen took time to speak in front of Raider Nation with former Raiders guard Lincoln Kennedy about what Davis meant to him, and what it was like lighting the torch.
"Where do I begin to start," said Eeghen. "All I know in my heart, I was thanking Mr. Davis for a draft pick he made in 1974 that changed my life forever."
Here are the other Torch features from the 2016 season:
Preseason Week 3 - George Buehler
Preseason Week 4 - Oakland Police Department
Week 2 - Pete Banaszak
