McDaniels is the 22nd Raiders Head Coach

Josh McDaniels has become the 22nd head coach of the Oakland-Los Angeles-Las Vegas Raiders, dating to the team’s inception as a charter member of the American Football League in 1960.

That number counts Rich Bisaccia, who replaced Coach Jon Gruden earlier this season as interim head coach, recorded a 7-5 record and led the Raiders to a Wild Card game in the NFL playoffs before losing, 26-19, to the Cincinnati Bengals, who will play the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI.

Eddie Erdelatz, former coach at Navy, was the first head coach of the Raiders in 1960 and led them to a 6-10 record and was replaced by Marty Feldman, who was 2-15 in 1961-62 before Red Conkright took his place and finished out the 1962 season with a 1-8 mark.

Then the Raiders turned things around by hiring assistant coach Al Davis of the San Diego Chargers as coach and general manager, and he turned the franchise into one of the best in the AFL and later the National Football League after the two leagues merged.

“We needed someone who wanted to win so badly, he would do anything,” Raiders primary owner Wayne Valley, a successful businessman, said about hiring Davis. “Everywhere I went, people told me what a son of a bitch Al Davis was, so I figured he must be doing something right. I knew I would eventually have to fight him for control of the team, but I figured I could handle a football coach.”

Valley guessed wrong and Davis eventually took total control of the Raiders.

Davis led the Raiders to a 10-4 record in 1963 and their first two victories over the AFL champion San Diego Chargers in memorable games by scores of 34-33 at San Diego and 41-27 at Frank Youell Field in Oakland by scoring 31 unanswered points in the fourth quarter after going 0-6 in the first the seasons against the Chargers.

The Raiders won their last eight games that season and finished second to the Chargers in the AFC West, and Davis posted a 23-16-3 record in three seasons before becoming commissioner of the AFL during the Pro Football War in 1966.

That was the beginning of the greatest run in Raiders history.

John Rauch replaced Davis, who returned after the merger as Managing General Partner, and Rauch led the Silver and Black to a 33-8-1 record from 1966-68, in including a 13-1 record in the 1967 season, a 40-7 victory over the Houston Oilers in the AFC Championship game that season before losing to the Green Bay Packers, 33-14, in Super Bowl II.

Hall of Famer John Madden took over in 1969 and in 10 seasons became the winningest coach in Raiders history with a 103-32-7 record, including a 32-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XVI, seven division titles, and eight playoff appearances.

“I got hurt in my rookie year with the Philadelphia Eagles, a knee injury, and I couldn’t play,” Madden said of how he became interested in coaching. “While I was rehabbing (legendary quarterback) Norm Van Brocklin would be watching films and would explain what was happening. I ended up with a degree in teaching, and my love for football meshed with teaching.”

Tom Flores, former Raiders quarterback and another Hall of Famer, was almost as good as Madden with an 83-53 record from 1979-87, including victories in Super Bowls XV over the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10, and the Washington Redskins, 38-9, in Super Bowl XVII.

Unfortunately, the Raiders have not reached such heights since, but Hall of Fame tackle Art Shell was 54-38 as head coach from 1989-94 and was selected Coach of the Year by Pro Football Weekly in 1990, Jon Gruden was 38-26 from 1998-2001, and while Bill Callahan was only 15-17 in 2002-03, he coached the Raiders to the 2002 AFC title, but they were routed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 48-21, in Super Bowl XXXVII.

The Raiders have made the playoffs only twice since 2002, in 2016 under Coach Jack Del Rio, who was 25-23 from 2015-17, and again this season under Bisaccia, but lost in the Wild Card round each time.

Raider Nation is hoping McDaniels can lead the Silver and Black back to the glory days.

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