The 1960

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

season was the inaugural one for the franchise and for the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...

(AFL). Head coach

Eddie Erdelatz Edward J. Erdelatz (April 21, 1913 – November 10, 1966) was an American collegiate and professional football player and coach who served as head football coach of the U.S. Naval Academy for nine years. Erdelatz was also the first head coach of ...

led the team to a 6–8 finish, third in the four-team Western Division.

Offseason

The Raiders were the last of the AFL's original eight teams to be accepted into the new league. As a result of the Minnesota franchise's defection to the NFL, Oakland was awarded the eighth AFL franchise on January 30, 1960. It was not until February 9 that the team named its first head coach,

, who had success as head coach of the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

during the 1950s. When the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...

refused to let the Raiders play home games at Memorial Stadium in

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...

, they chose

Kezar Stadium Kezar Stadium is an outdoor athletics stadium in San Francisco, California, located adjacent to Kezar Pavilion in the southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park. It is the former home of the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders (first AFL se ...

(also home to the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

's 49ers) in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

as their home field.

1960 AFL draft

The Raiders inherited the draft picks of the Minneapolis franchise. Among the most notable picks was center

Jim Otto James Edwin Otto (born January 5, 1938) is an American former professional football player who played as a center for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. He played collegia ...

, who was a fixture at the position for

fifteen years ''Fifteen Years'' is a compilation album by The Early November. It includes 15 new acoustic recordings from the course of the band's career. Track listing All songs written by Ace Enders. # "Narrow Mouth" - 04:11 # "Outside" - 04:06 # "The Mounta ...

and was selected to the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...

in .

Team leaders

;Passing

Tom Flores Thomas Raymond Flores (born March 21, 1937) is a former American football coach and quarterback. After his retirement as a coach, he was a radio announcer for more than twenty years. Flores won a total of four Super Bowls in his playing and c ...

– 1,738 yds., 12 TD, 12 INT, 71.8 rating ;Rushing

Tony Teresa Anthony Michael Teresa (December 8, 1933 – October 16, 1984) was a professional American football halfback in the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL). He played one game for the NFL's San Francisco 49ers in 19 ...

– 139 att., 608 yds., 6 TD ;Receiving

Billy Lott Billy Rex Lott (November 8, 1934May 15, 1995) was a professional American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL). He played for the NFL's New York Giants (1958) and the AFL's ...

– 49 rec., 524 yds., 1 TD

Regular season

Over the course of a fourteen-game regular season schedule, the Raiders faced each of the other seven AFL teams twice. The AFL had no playoff rounds, only a

championship game In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

between the league's two division winners, so Oakland's third-place finish was not enough to qualify.

Season schedule

Final standings

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Houston Oilers

The Raiders' first-ever regular season game was played on September 11, 1960, at home against the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 as ...

. The Oilers took an early lead after a 43-yard pass from

George Blanda George Frederick Blanda (September 17, 1927 – September 27, 2010) was an American football placekicker and quarterback who played professionally in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). Blanda played 26 seasons ...

Charlie Hennigan Charles Taylor Hennigan, Sr. (March 19, 1935 – December 20, 2017) was an American football player with the former Houston Oilers of the American Football League (AFL). Football career Hennigan attended LSU on a track scholarship but wanted to ...

. The Raiders evened the score in the second quarter when

connected with

for a 13-yard pass. Oakland took the lead after Ed Macon intercepted a Blanda pass and ran 42 yards for a touchdown, but the Oilers scored 23 points to take a 30–15 lead. Flores found

Jack Larscheid Jack Larscheid (May 10, 1933 – February 5, 1980) was a player in the American Football League for the Oakland Raiders in 1960 and 1961 as a halfback. He played at the collegiate level at University of the Pacific. Biography Larscheid was bo ...

for a 46-yard scoring pass in the fourth quarter, but it was not nearly enough.

Week 2: vs. Dallas Texans

The Raiders lost their second consecutive game in a Friday night matchup against

Hank Stram Henry Louis Stram (; January 3, 1923 – July 4, 2005) was an American football coach. He is best known for his 15-year tenure with the Dallas Texans / Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (N ...

Dallas Texans Dallas Texans may refer to: American football *Dallas Texans (NFL), 1952 team in the National Football League *Dallas Texans (AFL), 1960–1962 team that is now the Kansas City Chiefs * Dallas Texans (arena), 1990–1993 Arena Football League team ...

. The Texans jumped out to an early 10–0 lead after a field goal and a touchdown pass from

Cotton Davidson Francis Marion "Cotton" Davidson (November 30, 1931 – December 23, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a quarterback and punter in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL). Davidson attende ...

Max Boydston Max Ray Boydston (January 22, 1932 – December 12, 1998) was a professional gridiron football end who played in the National Football League (NFL), the Canadian Football League (CFL), and the American Football League (AFL). College career Born i ...

. Oakland responded with 26-yard touchdown pass from

Babe Parilli Vito "Babe" Parilli (May 7, 1930 – July 15, 2017) was an American football quarterback and coach who played professionally for 18 seasons. Parilli spent five seasons in the National Football League (NFL), three in the Canadian Football League ( ...

to Tony Teresa. The Texans'

Jack Spikes Jack Erwin Spikes (born February 5, 1937) is a former American football running back and placekicker. He played in the American Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Oilers, and the Buffalo Bills. He played ...

ran for a 15-yard score in the second quarter, and Oakland responded with a field goal. After scoring a third-quarter field goal, Dallas pulled away with two touchdowns (rushing and receiving) from Johnny Robinson.

Week 3: at Houston Oilers

Oakland recorded its first-ever victory in a Week 3 rematch against the eventual league champion Oilers. J.D. Smith ran for a 3-yard score to post the Raiders to an early 7–0 lead. The Oilers tied and then overtook the Raiders on the strength of a touchdown pass and two field goals by George Blanda. In the final period, Tom Flores found tight end

Gene Prebola Eugene Nicholas Prebola (June 30, 1938 – December 10, 2021) was an American football tight end who played four seasons in the American Football League (AFL) with the Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the ...

for a 14-yard touchdown, which was enough for the win.

Week 4: at Denver Broncos

In the inaugural game of what would become one of football's most intense rivalries,

Frank Filchock Frank Joseph Filchock (October 8, 1916 – June 20, 1994) was an American gridiron football player and coach. As a consequence of a famous scandal regarding the 1946 NFL Championship Game, he was suspended by the National Football League (NF ...

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

easily defeated the Raiders on the strength of a 21-point outburst in the second quarter. Denver opened the scoring with a short first-quarter field goal, but Oakland took the lead after a 1-yard touchdown run by J.D. Smith. In the second period, a pair of touchdown strikes from

Frank Tripucka Francis Joseph TripuckaProfile
, polishsportshof.com; accessed December 28, 2015.

Lionel Taylor Lionel Thomas Taylor (born August 15, 1935) is a former American football wide receiver who led the American Football League (AFL) in receptions for five of the first six years of the league's existence. College football Taylor attended New ...

gave Denver a 17–7 lead. Bill Yelverton intercepted an Oakland pass and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown, giving Denver a 24–7 lead at halftime. A 2-yard touchdown run by

capped the scoring for the Raiders.

Week 5: at Dallas Texans

The Raiders improved to 2–3 in front of 21,000 at the Cotton Bowl. After a scoreless first quarter, the Texans' David Webster scored on an 80-yard interception return. The Raiders responded with three consecutive touchdowns, including a 98-yard kickoff return by James "Jetstream" Smith.

Al Goldstein Alvin "Al" Goldstein (January 10, 1936December 19, 2013) was an American pornographer. He is known for helping normalize hardcore pornography in the United States. Background Goldstein was born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn to a Jewish family. He ...

recorded receiving and rushing touchdowns in the third quarter. The Texans mounted a fourth-quarter comeback, but fell short when a

two-point conversion In gridiron football, a two-point conversion or two-point convert is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point conversion immediately after it scores a touchdown. In a two-point conversion attempt, the team that just scored must run ...

attempt failed.

Week 7: at Buffalo Bills

In Week 7, the Raiders suffered their most lopsided loss of the season and fell to 3–4. The Bills dominated thanks to four touchdown passes and a touchdown run by

Johnny Green John Waldo Green (October 10, 1908 – May 15, 1989) was an American songwriter, composer, musical arranger, conductor and pianist. He was given the nickname "Beulah" by colleague Conrad Salinger. His most famous song was one of his earli ...

. Oakland managed just one offensive score, a 1-yard touchdown run by James "Jetstream" Smith in the second quarter. Oakland recorded the first

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

in team history in the fourth quarter when a Buffalo snap went out of the end zone.

Week 8: at New York Titans

Oakland evened their record at 4–4 in a Friday night contest against the New York Titans. The two teams combined for 35 points in the first half, including a pair of touchdown passes each from Tom Flores and the Titans'

Al Dorow Albert Richard Dorow (November 15, 1929 – December 7, 2009) was an American gridiron football quarterback. He played college football at Michigan State University and professionally in the National Football League (NFL), the American Football ...

. New York entered the fourth quarter with a 24–14 lead, but a pair of James "Jetstream" Smith rushing touchdowns gave Oakland the narrow win.

Week 9: at Boston Patriots

Boston avenged a Week 6 loss in a high-scoring Friday night game at

Nickerson Field Nickerson Field is an outdoor athletic stadium in the Northeastern United States, on the campus of Boston University (BU) in Boston, Massachusetts. The stadium is owned by BU, and is the home field for some Boston University Terriers athletics pr ...

. Oakland's Tony Teresa ran for three touchdowns, including a pair in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Tom Flores ran for an 8-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

Week 10: vs. Buffalo Bills

The Raiders rebounded from the previous week's defeat by holding the Bills to just one touchdown. The offensive highlight for Oakland was an 83-yard touchdown run by Tony Teresa in the third quarter.

Week 12: at Los Angeles Chargers

After a Week 11 bye, the Raiders met

Sid Gillman Sidney Gillman (October 26, 1911 – January 3, 2003) was an American football player, coach and executive. Gillman's insistence on stretching the football field by throwing deep downfield passes, instead of short passes to running backs or w ...

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

for the first time on November 27, 1960. The eventual Western Division champion Chargers piled up 31 points by halftime, led by quarterback

Jack Kemp Jack French Kemp (July 13, 1935 – May 2, 2009) was an American politician and a professional football player. A member of the Republican Party from New York, he served as Housing Secretary in the administration of President George H. W. Bu ...

. Kemp passed for two touchdowns in the first half, and ran for another. Oakland got short touchdown runs by J.D. Smith and Billy Lott. Tom Flores and Babe Parilli passed for touchdowns.

Week 13: vs. Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers continued their offensive deluge against the Raiders in Week 13, erupting for 27 points in the fourth quarter. Billy Lott ran for a touchdown in the second quarter;

Charlie Hardy Charlie Hardy (1 April 1887 – 19 May 1968) was an Australian rules footballer who played for North Melbourne in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) during the 1910s and Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the early 19 ...

caught an 11-yard pass from Tom Flores in the same period.

Week 14: vs. New York Titans

The Raiders dropped their third consecutive contest, as the Titans evened the season series. Oakland took a 28–24 lead in the fourth quarter After Tom Flores found Tony Teresa for 3-yard touchdown pass, but the Titans got the margin of victory when Al Dorow connected with

Dewey Bohling Dewey Arthur Bohling (born August 22, 1938) is a former college and professional American football player. A halfback, he played college football at Hardin–Simmons University, and played professionally in the American Football League (AFL) f ...

for a 17-yard touchdown pass.

Week 15: vs. Denver Broncos

On Saturday, December 17, 1960, the Raiders ended their inaugural campaign on a high note by easily defeating the Broncos. The two squads traded field goals in the first quarter, but Oakland entered halftime with a 17–10 lead on the strength of touchdown runs by Tom Flores and Tony Teresa. Denver's lone touchdown was a 6-yard pass from Frank Tripucka to Lionel Taylor in the second quarter. After that, Oakland scored 38 unanswered points, including 31 in the final period. Babe Parilli passed for two scores in his final game as a Raider.

Sources

1960 Oakland Raiders
at databaseFootball.com {{DEFAULTSORT:1960 Oakland Raiders Season Oakland Raiders seasons

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...