Las Vegas Raiders · Franchise era 1 of 7

Before Al Davis: the Las Vegas Raiders story

Franchise era

1960—1962

Before Al Davis

Las Vegas Raiders

The story in one sentence

The Raiders struggled on and off the field until a young coach and executive arrived with a clearer philosophy.

01

An unstable AFL start

02

Tom Flores, Jim Otto and Art Powell gave the era its recognizable core.

03

Its ending created the conditions for the raiders become the raiders.

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. The foundation

    The franchise context

    Across Oakland, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, the Raiders have remained one of football's most recognizable ideas: speed, intimidation, outsider pride and an expectation to win boldly.

  2. 1960—1962

    Before Al Davis

    The Raiders struggled on and off the field until a young coach and executive arrived with a clearer philosophy.

  3. After 1962

    What came next

    Al Davis, John Rauch and John Madden built a feared perennial contender that finally broke through by winning Super Bowl XI.

The core

Faces of the chapter

Next era →The Raiders become the Raiders1963—1978