Oakland Raiders Logo PNG
The Oakland Raiders logo intricately reflects changes and resilience, with its core meaning remaining unchanged to this day. The pirate face is the primary symbol for teams from different cities, yet at the same time, it denotes the tenacity with which the team plays.
Oakland Raiders: Brand overview
| Founded: | 1960 – 2019 |
| Headquarters: | Alameda, California, U.S. |
| Website: | raiders.com |
The Oakland Raiders are a professional football team from Oakland, California. The team was founded in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League. After the merger of the American Football League with the National Football League in 1970, the team has been competing in the Western Division of the American Football Conference.
Oakland businessman J. Charles (Chet) Soda was the founder and first owner of the team. However, before these events, in 1959, a few months after the AFL was created, the owners of the unnamed franchise from Minneapolis agreed to join the NFL. Thus, Oakland began the fight for the right to replace the disappeared team. Eventually, on January 30, 1960, the city received the AFL franchise.
From 1961, the franchise was owned by two people – F. Wayne Valley and Ed McGah. In 1966, the team’s head coach and general manager, Al Davis, joined them, entering into negotiations about a new partnership agreement, which made him the managing general partner and gave him almost complete control over all club operations. Outraged by the agreement ratified by Ed McGah, F. Wayne Valley sold his share in the franchise in 1976 to no longer participate in the club’s life.
Despite Davis’s actions, the franchise still had a limited partnership with nine partners. In 2005, Davis bought out the share owned by the McGah family and became the majority owner. However, at the time of his death, he only owned 67% of the team’s shares. In 2011, Davis’s share passed to his son, Mark, and his wife, Carol Davis.
The Raiders have changed their home city twice. In 1982, the club moved from Oakland to Los Angeles, and in 1995, it returned to Oakland. However, according to a preliminary agreement, the franchise will not remain there: in 2020, the club is supposed to move to Las Vegas, Nevada.
Initially, the team was called the “Oakland Seniors” after a team-naming contest conducted by the Oakland Tribune. Considering that Oakland has a large Spanish-speaking community, the name seemed quite appropriate, although the players and management preferred the option that came in third place. Thus, the “Seniors” lasted only nine days and were replaced by the “Raiders.” There were two reasons for the name change. Firstly, Chet Soda wanted his team to have a name that would ignite and inspire both the team and its fans. Secondly, there is no letter “ñ” in the English alphabet. Despite the team’s renaming, Helen A. Davis, who won the contest, received a trip to the Bahamas as a reward.
Meaning and History
The key element of the “Raiders” emblem is the pirate’s head. Over 60 years, the iconic “Raiders” head has undergone minor changes and remained constant. Throughout its existence in the NFL, the franchise has used five logos, with three of them remaining virtually unchanged. The official color palette includes black, gray, and white.
What is Oakland Raiders?
The Oakland Raiders is the team’s old name, which is now known as the Las Vegas Raiders. From 1982 to 1994, it was known as the Los Angeles Raiders. In 2020, the franchise moved to Las Vegas, but it was based in Oakland for most of its history.
1960 – 1962
The earliest logo appeared in 1960 when Chet Soda, the founder and first owner of the team, asked Gene Lawrence Perry, the director of public relations, to find an artist to draw a new logo for the “Oakland Raiders.” Gene Lawrence Perry hired an artist from Berkeley who created a logo depicting a pirate in a football helmet with a solid chinstrap. The head was superimposed on a golden football. It’s believed that actor Randolph Scott, who was incredibly popular at the time, served as the model for the designer. As a result, the franchise received an extremely recognizable logo: the raider’s chin with an eye patch and a football helmet.
1963
Al Davis, the next owner of the team, decided to abandon the gold and black colors, choosing black and white with a silver shade. The 1963 “Raiders” emblem depicted a pirate’s head with two swords crossed behind him, inside a black-silver shield. Above the raider’s head, in block-shot style font, was written “THE OAKLAND” in smaller letters than the word “RAIDERS.”
1964 – 1981
During these years, the “Oakland Raiders” logo remained untouched: the raider’s head and crossed swords were located inside a black shield with white wording. The face is shown in full length, the left eye squinted, and the right covered with a black eye patch. Above the pirate’s head and crossed swords is the franchise’s name written in white font – “RAIDERS.” It’s written in capital letters. The bold sans-serif font with large lettering looks solid. Key elements are colored light, and the background is dark.
1982 – 1994 and 1995 – 2019
Despite moving to Los Angeles, the franchise remained loyal to its original logo. The difference was in the wording: the “Oakland” inscription was removed. Moreover, the new Oakland Raiders logo included white, black, and gray colors. For example, the helmet was painted gray with a dark stripe in the middle. The swords were shortened, the shields became black, and the pirates’ facial features – were strict.
2020 – today
Oakland Raiders: Interesting Facts
The Las Vegas Raiders, who used to be called the Oakland Raiders, are a famous football team with a lot of history. They’ve won a lot of games and have some dedicated fans.
- Starting Out: The Raiders began in 1960, joining the AFL before it merged with the NFL. They had difficulty deciding where to be based initially but ended up in Oakland.
- Colors and Fans: They’re known for their silver and black colors. Their fans, called the “Raider Nation,” get into the spirit by dressing up for games. The team’s motto, “Just Win, Baby,” shows they’re all about winning.
- Winning Big: They’ve won three Super Bowls (XI, XV, and XVIII) out of five they played in. Their wins in the 1976, 1980, and 1983 seasons made them one of the best teams.
- Leading the Way: Al Davis, who owned and managed the team for a long time, was big on including everyone. He hired the NFL’s first African American head coach, female chief executive, and Latino head coach.
- Big Rivalries: The Raiders have fierce rivalries, especially with the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, and Pittsburgh Steelers. These games have been some of the most exciting in football.
- Famous Faces: Some of the best players and coaches, like Ken Stabler, Marcus Allen, and John Madden, have been part of the Raiders. John Madden was an especially successful coach, leading the team to a Super Bowl win.
- A Famous Play: In a 1972 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a play called “The Immaculate Reception” occurred. It was a controversial moment in which the Steelers scored a winning touchdown, and Raiders fans still discuss it.
- Loyal Fans: The Raiders’ fans are known for being super loyal and dressing up in wild costumes at the “Black Hole” section of the stadium.
- Moving Around: The team has moved a few times. They went from Oakland to Los Angeles in 1982, back to Oakland in 1995, and then to Las Vegas in 2020. These moves were a big deal to their fans and the NFL.
Even though the Raiders are now in Las Vegas, their history in Oakland is still important to their fans, as is the football story.
Font and Colors
The key image of the Oakland Raiders emblem is the pirate’s head. It resulted from a creative collaboration between a Berkeley artist and actor Randolph Scott, whose face is depicted on the football team’s emblem. Thus, the image represents not an unnamed character but a real person, incredibly popular in the mid-20th century.
Client Chet Soda developed the emblem under the close watch of Gene Lawrence Perry. The designer created a recognizable image of the raider with a black eye patch and a football helmet covering most of the head. Expressive face: special emphasis is placed on the determined chin. On the back are drawn two crossed swords, emphasizing the character’s occupation. Slightly above is the word “RAIDERS.” All elements are on the background of a black heraldic shield.
The inscription on the emblem looks standard, although the designers adapted the font specifically for the Oakland Raiders. The bold sans-serif font resembles Twentieth Century MT Ultrabold. The colors were chosen according to the team’s official palette. The swords, face, and the word “RAIDERS” are white; the football helmet is light gray, and the shield, armband, and small details are black.
Oakland Raiders color codes
| Silver | Hex color: | #a5acaf |
|---|---|---|
| RGB: | 166 174 176 | |
| CMYK: | 5 0 0 25 | |
| Pantone: | PMS 429 C |
| Black | Hex color: | #000000 |
|---|---|---|
| RGB: | 0 0 0 | |
| CMYK: | 70 50 50 100 | |
| Pantone: | PMS Process Black C |
FAQ
What does the Oakland Raiders logo represent?
The football club’s logo, Oakland Raiders (since 2020 – Las Vegas Raiders), represents its name. It’s a pirate in a helmet and with an eye patch. He is depicted against the background of two crossed sabers inside a triangular heraldic shield.
Who is the guy depicted on the “Raiders” logo?
The emblem of this team depicts a raider, that is, a pirate. Rumors suggest that the man’s face was copied from the American actor Randolph Scott.
Will the “Raiders” change their logo?
The Raiders did not change their logo when they moved from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2020. Whether further updates to the logo are planned is currently unknown.
Why is a pirate depicted on the “Raiders” logo?
A pirate has always been depicted on the “Raiders” logo, but not a classic one, rather in a football helmet and with the face of actor Randolph Scott. This reflects the team’s name, as raiding means capturing.