The 1965 Oakland Raiders season was the team's sixth in both Oakland and the American Football League. The campaign saw the team attempt to improve upon the prior year's disappointing 5–7–2 record, and finished at 8–5–1.[1] While the effort was a definite improvement, it was not enough to win the division and secure a postseason berth. This was the third and last season for Al Davis as head coach, as he became the AFL commissioner in April 1966, and offensive backs coach John Rauch was promoted.[2]
| 1965 Oakland Raiders season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | F. Wayne Valley |
| General manager | Al Davis |
| Head coach | Al Davis |
| Home field | Frank Youell Field |
| Results | |
| Record | 8–5–1 |
| Division place | 2nd AFL Western |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
This was the first of sixteen consecutive winning seasons for the Raiders. It is also notable for the debut of Hall of Fame wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff, the first of several legendary Raiders drafted in the mid-1960s to early 1970s. The eleventh overall selection of the AFL draft out of Florida State, he was an integral part of the team's 1967 and 1976 Super Bowl runs.
It was also the Raiders' last year at Frank Youell Field;[3] they moved to the new Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum in 1966.
Roster
editQuarterbacks (QB)
Running backs (RB)
Wide receivers (WR)
Tight ends (TE)
|
Offensive linemen (OL)
Defensive linemen (DL)
|
Linebackers (LB)
Defensive backs (DB) {{{defensive_back}}}
|
|
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Harry Schuh | T | |
| 2 | 11 | Fred Biletnikoff | WR | Florida State |
| 3 | 19 | Bob Svihus | T | |
| 4 | 27 | Gus Otto | LB | |
| 9 | 67 | Rich Zecher | DT |
Season
editRegular season
edit| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 12 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 37–10 | 1–0 | Frank Youell Field | 18,569 | Recap |
| 2 | September 19 | San Diego Chargers | L 6–17 | 1–1 | Frank Youell Field | 21,406 | Recap |
| 3 | September 26 | Houston Oilers | W 21–17 | 2–1 | Frank Youell Field | 18,116 | Recap |
| 4 | October 3 | at Buffalo Bills | L 12–17 | 2–2 | War Memorial Stadium | 41,246 | Recap |
| 5 | October 8 | at Boston Patriots | W 24–10 | 3–2 | Fenway Park | 24,824 | Recap |
| 6 | October 16 | at New York Jets | T 24–24 | 3–2–1 | Shea Stadium | 54,890 | Recap |
| 7 | October 24 | Boston Patriots | W 30–21 | 4–2–1 | Frank Youell Field | 20,585 | Recap |
| 8 | October 31 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 7–14 | 4–3–1 | Municipal Stadium | 18,354 | Recap |
| 9 | November 7 | at Houston Oilers | W 33–21 | 5–3–1 | Rice Stadium | 35,729 | Recap |
| 10 | November 14 | Buffalo Bills | L 14–17 | 5–4–1 | Frank Youell Field | 19,352 | Recap |
| 11 | November 21 | at Denver Broncos | W 28–20 | 6–4–1 | Bears Stadium | 30,369 | Recap |
| 12 | Bye | ||||||
| 13 | December 5 | Denver Broncos | W 24–13 | 7–4–1 | Frank Youell Field | 19,023 | Recap |
| 14 | December 12 | New York Jets | W 24–14 | 8–4–1 | Frank Youell Field | 19,013 | Recap |
| 15 | December 19 | at San Diego Chargers | L 14–24 | 8–5–1 | Balboa Stadium | 26,056 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Game summaries
editWeek 1
edit
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Standings
edit| AFL Western Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| San Diego Chargers | 9 | 2 | 3 | .818 | 4–1–1 | 340 | 227 | W3 | |
| Oakland Raiders | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 3–3 | 298 | 239 | L1 | |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 7 | 5 | 2 | .583 | 4–1–1 | 322 | 285 | W1 | |
| Denver Broncos | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 0–6 | 303 | 392 | L4 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings in the AFL.
References
edit- ^ "Football standings". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). December 20, 1965. p. 3C.
- ^ "Appoint Davis as AFL czar". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. p. 1, part 2.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Clinch second". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 13, 1965. p. 3B.
- ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
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