Raiders-Rams Were Once Unfriendly Neighbors

Once upon a time, the Las Vegas Raiders franchise shared the massive Los Angeles Coliseum, the vast metropolis of Los Angeles, and much of Southern California with the Los Angeles Rams.

It was an uneasy relationship, as you might imagine.

The Raiders will face the Rams in the second game of the 2023 preseason on Saturday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., where the late Raiders owner Al Davis once considered building a new stadium for the Silver and Black.

After the Raiders spent 1960-1981 in Oakland, Davis was frustrated that Oakland officials did nothing to improve the Oakland Coliseum, so the Silver and Black played their games from 1982 to 1994 at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum.

For the first three seasons, the Raiders continued to hold training camp at the El Rancho Hotel in Santa Rosa and work out at their training facility in Alameda before flying to games at the L.A. Coliseum.

During that time, I was a copy editor at the Los Angeles Times. When the Raiders’ move to Los Angeles was announced, I wrote several historical stories about the Raiders for the Times, and at one point, I was asked if I wanted to be the Raiders’ beat writer in Los Angeles.

I wasn’t sure and asked my wife, Cheryl, what she thought about it because I knew she would again be alone for long stretches when I was on the road with the Raiders, but she said that she was proud that they asked me and told me to do what I wanted.

Fortunately, one of the top editors on the copy desk said that they needed me there, and that took a significant burden off because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do it again after covering the Raiders for the Oakland Tribune in the 1970s.

However, working for more than 20 years on the copy desk of the Los Angeles Times proved to be one of the most satisfying achievements in my nearly 60 years as a sportswriter.

The Raiders also were looking to build a stadium in a gravel pit in Irwindale, Calif., and Raiders executive John Herrara, my friend from Skyline High School in Oakland, spent several years there before that didn’t pan out either. Eventually, the Silver and Black came back to Oakland.

Even though I worked during those years at the L.A. Times, when the Raiders came back to Oakland in 1982, Cheryl and I flew back to Bay Area and were there in the Oakland Coliseum with other members of our family when the Raiders beat the San Francisco 49ers, 23-17.

There were other memorable games in the early years of the Raiders-Rams rivalry.

The first time the teams ever played in 1972 at the Oakland Coliseum, quarterback Daryle Lamonica passed for only 136 yards but threw touchdown passes of 30 yards to wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff, 27 yards to tight end Raymond Chester, and 31 yards to wide receiver Mike Siani in a 45-17 rout of the Rams.’

The Raiders made six interceptions against Rams quarterbacks Pete Beathard and Roman Gabriel in that game, including three by Hall of Fame cornerback Willie Brown, and linebacker Phil Villapiano returned one of them 82 yards for a touchdown.

In another notable game for the Raiders, quarterback Kenny “Snake” Stabler threw three touchdown passes, including touchdown passes of 27 and four yards to tight end Raymond Chester, in the second half, as the Silver and Black rallied from a 14-3 deficit for a 24-17 victory over the Rams at the L.A. Coliseum.

The Raiders’ defense did its part in that game by intercepting three passes by Rams quarterback Pat Haden.

And then in 1982, running back Marcus Allen rushed for 93 yards and three touchdowns, two as the Raiders scored 23 points in the fourth quarter to rally from a 14-point halftime deficit for a 37-31 victory over the Rams at the L—a Coliseum.

Saturday’s game might be fun, but it won’t equal those from the past.

The Silver and Black return to preseason action when they play the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 19, at 9 p.m. EDT/6 p.m. PDT.

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