Las Vegas Raiders · Franchise era 2 of 7

The Raiders become the Raiders: the Las Vegas Raiders story

Franchise era

1963—1978

The Raiders become the Raiders

Las Vegas Raiders

The story in one sentence

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

01

Vertical offense and relentless defense

02

Ken Stabler, Gene Upshaw and Willie Brown gave the era its recognizable core.

03

Its ending created the conditions for flores and the los angeles titles.

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Before 1963

    What came before

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

  2. After 1978

    What came next

    Tom Flores led the first wild-card Super Bowl champion, then Allen's record run powered a dominant title after the move to Los Angeles.

The core

Faces of the chapter

← Previous eraBefore Al Davis1960—1962Next era →Flores and the Los Angeles titles1979—1987