Oakland Invaders
The Oakland Invaders were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League (USFL) from 1983 through 1985. Based in Oakland, California, they played at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum. The team can trace its history to 1977 when they played in the California Football League as the Twin Cities Cougars, and won four league championships (1979-1982). During that time, they played their home games at the Marysville High School field. History In reaction to the Raiders relocating to Los Angeles Oakland had been without a football team since the Oakland Raiders relocated to Los Angeles before the 1982 NFL season. The Invaders stepped in to fill the void; the similar name was no accident. One of the Invaders' first player signings was former Raider and 49er Cedrick Hardman, who came out of a one-year retirement to serve as player-coach. The team was originally owned by Bay Area real estate magnates Jim Joseph and Tad Taube. However, aft ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum
Oakland Coliseum, currently naming rights, branded as RingCentral Coliseum, is a stadium in Oakland, California. It is part of the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Complex, with the adjacent Oakland Arena, near Interstate 880 (California), Interstate 880. The Coliseum is the home ballpark of the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball. In 2017, the playing surface was dedicated as Rickey Henderson Field in honor of Major League Baseball National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Hall of Famer and former Athletics left fielder Rickey Henderson. As a multi-purpose stadium, it was the former home of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League from 1966 Oakland Raiders season, 1966 until 1981 Oakland Raiders season, 1981 (when the team moved to Los Angeles), and again from 1995 Oakland Raiders season, 1995 until 2019 Oakland Raiders season, 2019 (when the team Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, moved to Las Vegas). Since then, the stadium has been primarily used f ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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History Of The San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now known as the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers' first home game in San Diego was at Balboa Stadium against the Oakland Raiders on September 17, 1961. Their final game as a San Diego-based club was played at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego at the end of the 2016 season against the Kansas City Chiefs, who defeated them 37–27. First Los Angeles season (1960) In 1959, the team began as the "Los Angeles Chargers" when they entered the American Football League (AFL), joining seven other teams: the Denver Broncos, Dallas Texans, Oakland Raiders, New York Titans, Houston Oilers, Buffalo Bills, and Boston Patriots. The Chargers' first owner was Barron Hilton, the son of Conrad Hilton, founder of the Hilton Hotels corporation. Lamar Hunt, who ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The company was founded in 1979 by Bill Rasmussen along with his son Scott Rasmussen and Ed Eagan. ESPN broadcasts primarily from studio facilities located in Bristol, Connecticut. The network also operates offices and auxiliary studios in Miami, New York City, Las Vegas, Seattle, Charlotte, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. James Pitaro currently serves as chairman of ESPN, a position he has held since March 5, 2018, following the resignation of John Skipper on December 18, 2017. While ESPN is one of the most successful sports networks, there has been criticism of ESPN. This includes accusations of biased coverage, conflict of interest, and controversies with individual broadcasters and analysts. , ESPN reaches approximately 76 million te ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Oakland Coliseum, currently branded as RingCentral Coliseum, is a stadium in Oakland, California. It is part of the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Complex, with the adjacent Oakland Arena, near Interstate 880. The Coliseum is the home ballpark of the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball. In 2017, the playing surface was dedicated as Rickey Henderson Field in honor of Major League Baseball Hall of Famer and former Athletics left fielder Rickey Henderson. As a multi-purpose stadium, it was the former home of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League from 1966 until 1981 (when the team moved to Los Angeles), and again from 1995 until 2019 (when the team moved to Las Vegas). Since then, the stadium has been primarily used for baseball. It was the last remaining stadium in the United States shared by professional baseball and football teams. It has also occasionally been used for soccer, including hosting selected San Jose Earthquakes matches in 2008 and 2009, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Birmingham Stallions
The Birmingham Stallions were a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second professional league of American football in the United States in competition with the National Football League. They played their home games at Birmingham, Alabama's Legion Field. They competed in all three USFL seasons, 1983–1985. During their run, they were one of the USFL's more popular teams, and seemed to have a realistic chance of being a viable venture had the USFL been better run. The owner was Cincinnati financier and Birmingham native Marvin Warner. The team's coach was Rollie Dotsch, who was previously the offensive line coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers during its Super Bowl years and ended up with the second most wins in USFL history. The Stallions starting quarterback for their final two seasons was Cliff Stoudt, a long-time backup to Terry Bradshaw with the Steelers. Stoudt had finally taken over for the injured Bradshaw in 1983 and had played ver ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sun Devil Stadium
Sun Devil Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in the southwestern United States, on the campus of Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe, Arizona. It is home to the ASU Sun Devils football team of the Pac-12 Conference. The stadium's seating capacity as of 2018 is 53,599, reduced from a peak of 74,865 in 1989.In 2022, the university's website lists the capacity of the stadium at 75,000. Se"ASU Virtual Tour: Sun Devil Stadium"/ref> The natural grass playing surface within the stadium was named Frank Kush Field in 1996 in honor of the former coach of the team. The stadium underwent a five-year, $304-million renovation that was completed in August 2019. The stadium has hosted two annual college football bowl games: the Fiesta Bowl from 1971 to 2006, and the Cactus Bowl from 2006 to 2015. Sun Devil Stadium was the only major football stadium in the Phoenix metropolitan area until the construction of State Farm Stadium – then called "Cardinals Stadium" &nd ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Pontiac Silverdome
The Pontiac Silverdome (also known simply as the Silverdome) was a stadium in Pontiac, Michigan. It opened in 1975 and sat on 199 acres (51 ha) of land. When the stadium opened, it featured a fiberglass fabric roof held up by air pressure, the first use of the architectural technique in a major athletic facility. With a seating capacity of 82,666+, it was the largest stadium in the National Football League (NFL) until FedExField in Landover, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C. expanded its capacity to over 85,000 in 2000. It was primarily the home of the Detroit Lions of the NFL from 1975 to 2001 and was also home to the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1978 to 1988. In addition, the Silverdome also served as the home venue for the Detroit Express of the North American Soccer League and the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League, as well as two college bowl games: the Cherry Bowl and the Motor City Bowl. In 2012, the Silv ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Michigan Panthers
The Michigan Panthers were a professional American football team based in the Detroit, Michigan area. The Panthers competed in the United States Football League (USFL) as a member of the Western Conference and Central Division. The team played its home games at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. Amid financial struggles following the 1984 season, the team was merged with the Oakland Invaders in 1985, where they would operate under the Invaders name. The Panthers won the inaugural USFL Championship, 24–22 over the Philadelphia Stars. Team history The Michigan Panthers were named as a charter member of the United States Football League (USFL) on May 11, 1982. A. Alfred Taubman, one of the nation's leading real estate developers, headed the ownership group that included Judge Peter B. Spivak and Max M. Fisher. The Panthers named Jim Spavital, general manager of the Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Roughriders, as their General Manager on August 26, 1982. Mi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Raymond Chester
Raymond Tucker Chester (born June 28, 1948) is a former American Football tight end. After graduating from Douglass High School in Baltimore, Maryland, Chester played college football at the historically Black University, Morgan State. He was a member of the Morgan State Bears’ 1968 undefeated team, scoring the Bears’ only touchdown in their historic victory over Grambling at Yankee Stadium. Drafted in the first round as the 24th pick overall in the 1970 NFL Draft, Chester began his National Football League (NFL) career with the Oakland Raiders. Pulling in seven touchdowns and over five hundred yards receiving in his NFL debut season, Chester received the Rookie of the Year award and secured his first of four career Pro Bowl selections. After a trade in 1973 to the Baltimore Colts, Chester played five seasons with them before returning to Oakland. He played with the Raiders in 1980, becoming a Super Bowl Champion after their defeat of the Philadelphia Eagles. Early years B ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Arthur Whittington
Arthur Lee Whittington (born September 4, 1955) is a former American football running back. He played for five seasons for the Oakland Raiders and the Buffalo Bills, and from 1983 to 1985 with the Oakland Invaders of the USFL. Career As a rookie in 1978, Whittington proved to be a valuable weapon in the Raiders backfield. He finished the year with 661 yards rushing and seven scores while recording 23 catches for 106 yards over nine starts. The next season, he started just seven games but ran for 397 yards and two touchdowns while recording 19 catches for 240 yards. By 1980, Whittington had developed a complementary role, running for just 299 yards and 3 TD in two starts but had 19 catches for 205 yards. His final year with Oakland, 1981, saw him start 2 games and run for 220 yards and one touchdown while recording 23 catches for 213 yards and 2 TD. Along with being a serviceable running back, Whittington proved to be an adept kick returner. In 1978, he averaged 20.6 yards on 23 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gordon Banks (American Football)
Gordon Gerard Banks (born March 12, 1958) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the Oakland Invaders of the United States Football League (USFL). He played college football at Stanford University. Early years Banks attended Loyola High School in the Pico-Union neighborhood, lettering in football and track. He accepted a football scholarship from Stanford University, where he was a backup at wide receiver. In 1977, he was second on the team with 16 kickoff returns for 222 yards (13.9-yard average). In 1978, he led the team with 13 kickoff returns for 269 yards (20.7-yard average). He finished his college career with 29 receptions for 294 yards and 5 touchdowns. He became a standout in track, running the 100 metres in 10.33 seconds. Professional career New Orleans Saints Banks was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New Orleans Saints after the 1980 NFL Draft. A ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Fred Besana
Fred Besana (born March 9, 1954) is a former American football player, a quarterback for the Oakland Invaders of the United States Football League. He was briefly on the rosters of the Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants of the National Football League, but never saw regular season action. Early life and college Born in Roseville, California, Besana played college football at the University of California in Berkeley under head coach Mike White, where he was primarily a back-up to All-Americans Steve Bartkowski and Joe Roth. He started the first three games of the 1975 season. Professional career Besana was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round (115th overall) of the 1977 NFL draft. He was active for two games in 1977 and two games in 1978, before being released by the Giants on August 13, 1979. With his NFL career effectively over, Besana returned to California and played semi-pro ball for the Twin Cities Cougars, based in Marysville, of the California Footbal ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |