HENDERSON, Nev. – Raiders Alumnus and former NFL Most Valuable Player Rich Gannon will light the Al Davis Memorial Torch prior to kickoff of Saturday's Las Vegas Raiders regular season finale versus Kansas City at Allegiant Stadium.
Gannon started 74 regular season games for the Raiders and was named NFL MVP after the 2002 campaign. He finished his time in Silver and Black as the team's second all-time leading passer. He completed 1,533 of 2,448 pass attempts for 17,585 yards and 114 touchdowns. The former University of Delaware star led the Raiders to three straight AFC Western Division titles from 2000-02, two AFC title game appearances and a berth in Super Bowl XXXVII after the 2002 season.
He joined the Raiders as a free agent in 1999 after spending time with Minnesota, Washington and Kansas City. Gannon originally entered the NFL as a fourth-round selection in the 1987 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots and was traded to the Vikings.
Gannon has spent the past five years as an analyst for Raiders preseason television broadcasts. He began his broadcasting career immediately following his retirement in 2005, joining CBS television as an NFL analyst where he served through 2020. He also worked for Sirius XM NFL Radio for seven years.
Gannon is added to a distinguished list that have been bestowed the honor, beginning with the late John Madden, who was the first to light the Torch on October 18, 2011. The First Lady of Raider Nation Mrs. Carol Davis was the first to light the Al Davis Memorial Torch honoring her late husband in Las Vegas prior to the Raiders' inaugural contest at Allegiant Stadium on September 21, 2020.
Since the tradition began in 2011 in Oakland, many Raiders Alumni, celebrities and fans have had the privilege to light the Torch before each home game. The Al Davis Memorial Torch is a tribute to Mr. Davis' legacy as the Raiders' longtime owner, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, AFL Coach of the Year, AFL Commissioner, and the architect of the Raiders' Commitment to Excellence in recognition of Mr. Davis' enduring vision that "the fire that burns the brightest in the Raiders' organization is the will to win."
