This could be it. Barring any unforeseen setbacks in the building of the Raiders stadium in Las Vegas, Sunday figures to be the last game in Oakland Coliseum. Many people are being asked about their favorite Oakland Coliseum memories, so I figured I would add my contribution. This is my favorite memory.
Growing up, my favorite player of all time was Tim “Mr Raider” Brown. He was always who I would be in backyard and playground pickup games and he was the first jersey I ever bought. I also purchased the only ever Wheaties box on which he appeared. As it happens, it was a box he shared with Jerry Rice and Andre Reed.
In 2000, I moved to the Bay Area from Oregon and in the 2001 preseason, I had the opportunity to attend Raiders training camp on ‘Community Day’. I had attended the year before, not prepared for autograph signings, and chose all the short lines for special teams players and offensive linemen over the long lines for the stars. This year I was prepared. I had my Wheaties box.
As it happened, there were now two players from that Wheaties box who were on the field for the Raiders. Jerry Rice had joined the team. And when the rope was lowered and we were allowed to take the field, I had to choose which long line I wanted to stand in. Timmy or the GOAT. It was an easy choice for me – Timmy all day.
That season, the Raiders would open in Kansas City against the rival Chiefs. It was a thriller that featured Jerry Rice’s first touchdown in Silver & Black and the Raiders won 27-24.
That December those Chiefs were coming to Oakland and I made sure I got my tickets for the game. I sat about halfway up section 136 which is on the corner adjacent ‘The Dark Side’ which is on the North end of the stadium. And, of course, I was in my Tim Brown jersey.
The Raiders came storming back from an early 17-7 deficit to take a 21-17 lead at the half with the Chiefs getting the ball to start the third quarter. The Raiders defense held, stopping the Chiefs a yard short of the first down marker at their own 45. They elected to punt.
Back to field the punt was that man Tim Brown. He was only even back there because David Dun was cut after a fumble the previous week that caused them to lose in overtime to the Cardinals. Brown was a placeholder until they found another option.
It was the third punt of the day for the Chiefs. The first two, Brown waved for the fair catch. Brown was 35 at the time and hadn’t actually attempted to return a punt in three years. And he hadn’t been the team’s regular punt returner in five years. Thus, Jon Gruden said Brown would be ‘restricted’ in what he was allowed to do as a punt returner.
Brown waved for his third fair catch of the day, this one inside the 10-yard-line, but the officials called for a false start penalty. They waved off the penalty picked up the flag, electing to replay the down.
Strazynski would punt again. This one didn’t look much different than the others. It landed in nearly the same spot, near the left sideline. And thus it appeared as if Brown would just wave for the fair catch again. But this time, to everyone’s surprise, probably Gruden’s, and certainly the Chiefs as well, he fielded it with the intention of trying to return it.
Brown fielded the punt near the left sideline at the Oakland 12, broke right, getting some blocks and raced up right sideline 88 yards for the touchdown, crossing the goal line right in front of the section in which I was sitting. Or rather standing in utter disbelief at what I just witness and losing my freaking mind.
It was the longest return touchdown of Tim Brown’s career. And that’s saying something because we’re talking about a guy who went to his first Pro Bowl as a kick returner, who returned a kick for a touchdown in his first-ever NFL game.
But we were a long way from Tim Brown’s first NFL game. A full career away from that. At 35 years old, Brown set an NFL record as the oldest player to return a punt for a touchdown. Something he hadn’t done in a decade.
And the Raiders would win the game 28-26 to improve to 9-3 on the season. They would finish the season at 10-6 to win the AFC West a game ahead of the Seattle Seahawks.
As a division winner, they would host the Jets in Oakland Coliseum in the Wild Card game and win. Then, of course, they went to New England where they got swindled out of the AFC Championship in the infamous Tuck Rule game. But let’s not go down that road. This is about great Oakland Coliseum memories.
That was mine. Thanks for letting me share it with you.
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