Al Davis Was Loving the Retro Uniforms
By JOE KUKURA
Updated 9:13 AM PST, Thu, Sep 17, 2009
Last season, the Raiders played a home game against the Chargers in the white jerseys, and Al Davis hated it.
Why? Because it was Lane Kiffin's idea.
This season, when the Raiders opened at home against the Chargers in their throwback, old-time white jerseys, Al Davis loved it.
Why? Because it was his idea.
"I was the one who designed the uniform," Davis told the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, discussing the throwback uniforms prior to Monday night's game. "We used it in 1963 and it was great."
Prior to Davis' purchasing the Raiders in 1963, the team actually wore gold and black. Davis switched the colors to silver and black, and the NFL began it's proud tradition of dogging Al Davis for every little thing.
"The reason they didn’t want to use it in the past is the film cannot identify certain players in the throwback uniform, the silver numbers are tough to identity," Davis said. "So teams start complaining."
"So I stopped it, and we just did the black – we’ve never changed – and the white. I always loved those things. In ’63 everyone said, 'Wow, that’s the best-looking uniform ever'. But we just got away from it because of the filmwork. They’re always complaining about something.”
"Best-looking uniform ever"? Sounds like something Kanye West would say if Taylor Swift won an award for "Best Football Unform."
The Raiders will once again wear "the best-looking uniform ever" Oct. 25 against the Jets and Nov. 15 against the Chiefs, as well as on Thanksgiving Day at Dallas.
Joe Kukura is a freelance writer who thinks the "best-looking uniforms ever" are the ones worn by the Raiderettes.
Copyright NBC Local Media
First Published: Sep 16, 2009 11:52 AM PST
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