Oakland Raiders Did It Their Way For 50 Years

It has been 40 years since the beginning of my attention to the "wild, wild, west" accomplishments of the Oakland Raiders.

Since I was a studious person during the first ten years of the existence of the franchise, I hope I am forgiven, but now I look at the skills that I have acquired to help me write, think, and debate issues in 2010.

Once you mature, you sometimes look back at the things in your collection of experiences. The souvenirs, mugs, books, caps, pictures are all so meaningful during those senior moments. They also enrich your little talks with the grandchildren.

I have been fascinated with the Oakland Raiders since the Dec. 6, 1970 game when the team turned the outcome around in the final eight seconds. Nothing can replace the exhilaration that I felt in 1970.

Finally, when I realized that the Raiders were entering their seventh year of struggle, I decided I needed to add my "two cents" pep talks to the constellation of articles on the Bleacher Report.

Have I made a difference? I have no way of knowing, but I do know that writing about the Oakland Raiders during their 50 year anniversary has added so much to me and to my students who read and hear the many comments posted on the Bleacher Report.

Some wonder why I have a dedication to the Raiders.  Here are a few reasons.

1. I perceived that the Raiders have repeatedly given the so-called difficult players or rejected players a chance to develop and to show their stuff on the playing field.

2. Al Davis gets and keeps my respect because he has advocated and demonstrated his commitment to forward-thinking. He has made history by giving minorities and women a chance to perform in the NFL.

3. The persona and spirit of the Raider Nation is fascinating to me. I am glad to be a member of such a fiery and passionate group. A recent survey shows us ranked high in participation on the Bleacher Report. We are a group of warriors (women included) and we stand up for and fight to the end for what we believe in.

4. I love our theme of "Commitment to Excellence."

5. I love the colors and the powerful theme song.

6. I remember and cherish the recitation of the theme in the voice of John Facenda.

I could go on and on, but I would rather leave time for you to reflect on why you love the Oakland Raiders.

When times were challenging over these many years I have taught college in Harlem, in College Station, and in downtown Houston, I remember the determination and last minute victories of the Oakland Raiders.

I have learned to never give up, to hang in there, for quitters never win, and winners never quit.

Recently, I was honored for 20 years of service. Those 20 years of teaching (actually 35 years if we count those teaching jobs in New York, College Station and in a high school) have included cheering for the Raiders, visiting Russia when the country was making a transition to democracy in 1993, remembering the victories of the Los Angeles Raiders although I missed the name Oakland Raiders during those years, and remembering the time I taught in a Calculus Reform workshop at the United States Military Academy in 1994 where young people are taught to lead and to serve their country.

I now reflect on the videotapes, books and articles that I have enjoyed, telling me of the history of a great franchise.

I enjoy the stories about Ted Hendricks, a man who loved physics and mathematics.

The endurance of Jim Otto is inspiring to me.

The stamina of George Blanda was fascinating to me.

The vision, victories and vicissitudes of Al Davis are intriguing to me.

My focus on the data is but an attempt to find solid documentation on how good we were and how good we can be, again and, hopefully, soon.

Congratulations to each and every person who helped to make the Raider Nation and the Oakland Raiders what they have been, and will be in the future.

Fifty years is a long time, and it marks a "Jubilee" in one culture. A "Jubilee" is a time of restoration, and celebration. It is a time to forgive debts even if those debts are in more than a financial domain.

I also am grateful for the friendship that I have had with a former Oakland Raider who is so peaceful and wise in his senior years. It has been 48 years since we met in the hallway of a science building. It has been a rich journey spiced with good times, hard times, and even with "social earthquakes" that toppled zeniths and uplifted nadirs in our careers and lives.

But if we look back and see the earthquakes in our lives as events to spur renewal and change, then we are not saddened but we are grateful that we are in a sound mind to interpret the past in a more perfect way.

The Oakland Raiders have done it their way for 50 years; Damali and other members of the Raider Nation have done it their way in 20 years or more years.

Go Raiders!

Damali with a collegiate co-worker, celebrating outstanding service. Mar 12, 2010