Oakland professional sports, which spent more than six decades producing world championships, colorful characters and memorable moments, essentially died Thursday. They were 63.
By approving the Oakland Athletics’ proposed move to Las Vegas, Major League Baseball owners delivered the final, jarring blow to major pro sports in the East Bay’s most populous city. First, the Golden State Warriors returned across the bay to San Francisco in 2019. Then the Oakland Raiders bolted for Las Vegas in 2020.
And now, barring a collapse of the A’s stadium deal in Las Vegas, the baseball team will also abandon the Coliseum complex, once the hub of triumphant Bay Area franchises, for the southern Nevada desert. The A’s will play in Oakland at least one more season while owner John Fisher attempts to build a new ballpark near the Vegas Strip.
This unprecedented triple exodus leaves fans crestfallen and angry. Oakland pro sports lived an eventful, exhilarating life, winning 10 championships — four each by the Warriors and A’s, two by the Raiders — and 11 if you include Rick Barry and the Oaks capturing the American Basketball Association title in 1969.
Beyond success on the scoreboard, Oakland teams played with panache. MLB stolen-base king Rickey Henderson danced off first base, making opposing pitchers and catchers quiver. Kenny Stabler flung passes to Fred Biletnikoff tiptoeing along the sideline. Stephen Curry lofted long, majestic 3-point shots over exasperated defenders.
All the while, fans created a distinctive home-field or home-court advantage. Long before Fisher decimated the A’s roster, the Coliseum buzzed with electricity for big baseball games. The Black Hole, home to countless costumed Raiders loyalists, overwhelmed visiting NFL teams. Warriors crowds roared like few others in the NBA, thirsty for entertaining basketball.
Oakland sports fans were engaged, passionate and diverse.
“To me, Oakland and its sports environment was a three-letter word: f-u-n,” said Andy Dolich, a longtime A’s executive (and briefly Warriors executive) who co-wrote a book, “Goodbye, Oakland: Winning, Wanderlust and a Sports Town’s Fight for Survival,” with former Oakland Tribune columnist Dave Newhouse. “There were serious sports fans, yes, but you were having fun at the Coliseum and the arena.”
The good times included many iconic moments. Just picture Raiders running back Clarence Davis emerging from a cluster of Miami Dolphins players to make his “Sea of Hands” catch in the 1974 NFL playoffs. Or Henderson steaming into third base on May 1, 1991 to break Lou Brock’s career stolen-base record. Or the Warriors, led by Curry and Kevin Durant, clinching the 2017 NBA championship to complete a 16-1 stampede through the postseason.
Also picture A’s pitchers Jim “Catfish” Hunter (May 1968) and Dallas Braden (May 2010) throwing perfect games. And Scott Hatteberg smacking a walk-off home run to extend his team’s winning streak to an American League-record 20 games (September 2002). And Klay Thompson scoring an NBA-record 37 points in one quarter (January 2015).
And the Warriors collecting their record-breaking 73rd regular-season win (April 2015). And the Raiders toppling the Tennessee Titans to earn the AFC title and a trip to the Super Bowl (January 2003).
All of that happened in Oakland.
Dave Stewart understands this history better than most, because he grew up in Oakland and later won 20 games in four consecutive seasons for the A’s. As he stared down hitters during those glory days, when the A’s played in the World Series in three straight years and won one championship (1989), Stewart also forged a unique connection with fans in his hometown.
Pitcher Dave Stewart at the 1989 Oakland A’s home opener. Stewart, who grew up in Oakland, forged a unique connection with fans in his hometown.
John O'Hara/The Chronicle 1989He often talked to spectators who sat above the walkway between the A’s clubhouse and dugout, becoming friends with some and even going fishing with one. Stewart savored the sense of community at the Coliseum, magnified by his upbringing only a few miles away.
“What I liked about our crowds back then, from the people who worked at the stadium to those who came to watch, was I felt like they were me,” Stewart said last week in a Chronicle interview. “There wasn’t anybody in the crowd I couldn’t identify with. … Going to the bullpen before starts, it was just different, man. I looked into the crowd and saw people just like me.”
A’s fans cheer behind a banner celebrating Dave Henderson (whose nickname was “Hendu”) at the Coliseum in 1991.
Deanne Fitzmaurice/The Chronicle 1991Naturally, it helped that the A’s of Stewart’s era were one of baseball’s most dominant teams, despite their two World Series pratfalls. They also flowed with compelling personalities, from Stewart and Dennis Eckersley on the mound to Henderson, Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire at the plate.
That led to big crowds routinely flocking to the much-maligned concrete bowl alongside Interstate 880. Set aside the Fisher-fueled narrative of Oakland fans not supporting the A’s. They drew more than 2 million spectators in six consecutive seasons (1988-93), including a franchise-record 2.9 million in 1990. The A’s also attracted more than 2 million in five straight seasons from 2001 through ’05, when they again fielded strong teams.
The Coliseum rocked back then.
Fan Chuck Vasquez seeks tickets outside the Oakland Coliseum in 1988.
Frederic Larson/The Chronicle 1988“In the ’80s and ’90s, there was no better place to play baseball,” Stewart said. “And we played according to the grit and blue collar of the city.”
Chris Mullin experienced a similar vibe playing for the Warriors in the adjacent arena. Mullin, unlike Stewart, grew up on the other end of the country, in Brooklyn. He was a tried-and-true New Yorker before Golden State drafted him in 1985.
Mullin and coach Don Nelson, with help from Mitch Richmond and Tim Hardaway, returned the Warriors to relevance more than a decade after their first Bay Area championship in ’75. The Warriors reached the playoffs five times with Mullin leading the way, creating an electric atmosphere at what was once known as the Coliseum Arena (and eventually became Oracle Arena).
The crowds were more than fans of their team — they were deeply invested basketball fans. It all seemed reassuringly familiar to Mullin, weaned on the rich hoops culture of New York City.
“I really felt a lot of similarities between Oakland and Brooklyn — demographics, being outside San Francisco like Brooklyn is outside Manhattan, pretty much a blue-collar town,” he said. “And sports were a big part of both communities, whether it was basketball, baseball or football.
“Sports have always broken down barriers of race or religion by whether you can play or not. So I immediately felt a connection to Oakland. You could tell right away the fans understood the game. Then we got things rolling and there was an appreciation for playing the right way, playing together, playing with passion.”
Oakland sports fans added their own flavor, especially when it came to the Raiders. This stretched beyond the Black Hole, the section of famously rowdy spectators behind the south end zone of the Coliseum.
Amy Trask, the team’s former CEO, recalled her regular pregame strolls through the Coliseum’s vast parking lot, where Raiders fans congregated for lively tailgate parties. Those fans did their homework: Some learned Trask was a vegetarian, so they beckoned her to their gatherings with promises of barbecued asparagus.
She also marveled at the mix of people in the stands for Raiders games during the team’s second stint at the Coliseum (1995-2019) — different ages, races and religions. That didn’t happen only in Oakland, but it still seemed striking.
“It’s a vibe, an atmosphere, an environment that was very unique and very special,” Trask said. “I don’t know how to explain why it was so unique and so special, but it was.”
In some ways, major-league Oakland professional sports were born on Sept. 11, 1960, when the Raiders lost to Houston in their American Football League debut. But the geography was complicated: They were known as the Oakland Raiders, even if they played home games during the ’60 season (Kezar Stadium) and ’61 season (Candlestick Park) in San Francisco.
The Oakland Raiders play the New York Titans at Oakland’s Frank Youell Field on Sept. 9, 1962.
Chronicle file photoThe Raiders didn’t truly count as an Oakland team until 1962, when their home games were held at Frank Youell Field; they moved to the then-new Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in 1966. Two years later, the A’s arrived (from Kansas City) and also set up camp at the Coliseum.
Later in 1968, the Warriors began playing home games at the neighboring arena, even if they were still the San Francisco Warriors (“Golden State” became a thing in 1971). Also worth noting: The NHL’s Oakland Seals/California Golden Seals lasted nine seasons before moving to Cleveland in 1976. On a different level, the minor-league baseball Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League (1903-55) and Oakland Invaders of the short-lived USFL (1983-85) merit mention.
Stewart recalled attending Raiders games at Frank Youell Field as a young kid in the ’60s. Even then, the fans made an impression.
“I remember the fanatics — the face-painting and the dressing up, just the craziness of the crowd,” Stewart said. “Some of these people were big executives in offices, running businesses, and on Sundays they became maniacs to watch the Raiders.”
Before long, the Raiders, A’s and Warriors all gave fans reason to watch. The Raiders reached three Super Bowls, won two and advanced to at least the conference championship game 10 times in a 14-year stretch (1967-80). The A’s played in the American League Championship Series in five consecutive years and won three World Series titles (1972-74). The Warriors twice lost in the conference finals and won one championship in a four-year span (1973-76).
Along the way, Oakland teams also became known for their bold, innovative ways. John Madden patrolled the sideline as Raiders head coach before he became a legendary broadcaster. Billy Martin and the A’s made a splash with their aggressive brand of “Billy Ball” in 1980-82. Nelson, the longtime Warriors head coach, revolutionized pro basketball with his small-ball lineups.
Or consider Tony La Russa changing the way major-league managers used their bullpens. Raiders owner Al Davis made Trask the NFL’s first female CEO (Art Shell became its first African American head coach, while the Raiders were in Los Angeles). Billy Beane introduced “Moneyball” to the sports vernacular, through Michael Lewis’ book and the subsequent movie starring Brad Pitt.
Another unmistakable element of the Oakland sports legacy: flair and flamboyance. The Raiders were tough-guy renegades, from Jim Otto and Ted Hendricks to Jack Tatum and Phil Villapiano. Rollie Fingers and his A’s teammates sported stylish mustaches. The Warriors gave us Run TMC (Hardaway, Richmond and Mullin), the “We Believe” playoff team of 2007 and finally the Splash Brothers.
Mullin pointed out an important thread connecting all these chapters in the city’s storied sports history: Oakland athletes backed it up.
Oakland A’s pitcher Jim “Catfish” Hunter, he of the team’s mustachioed set in the 70s, in the second game of the 1972 World Series at Cincinnati.
Associated Press 1972“You can have a cool nickname, but it’s not going to stick unless you’re good,” he said. “You can have a handlebar mustache, but if you’re not striking out people you’re going to look like a clown.”
Now, with the A’s following the Warriors and Raiders out of Oakland, it’s also worth pointing out the teams’ impact off the field/court. The Warriors remain involved in their former city across the bay: Since its inception in 2012, the Warriors Community Foundation has refurbished more than 40 basketball courts in Oakland and granted nearly $10 million to non-profits based in Alameda County, working toward educational equity. Golden State’s WNBA franchise will have its headquarters and practice facility in downtown Oakland.
This year alone, the A’s distributed more than 22,000 jerseys to 53 Little Leagues across the region, donated nearly $230,000 to non-profit organizations and awarded $20,000 in college scholarships. The Raiders similarly were active in the Oakland community before their departure three years ago.
Those efforts matter, but they don’t change the reality: Soon, Oakland will no longer have a team in MLB, the NFL or NBA. The Oakland Roots of the United Soccer League will be left to carry the torch.
In a sense, the history cast aside also includes the elite athletes who grew up in Oakland, from Bill Russell and Jason Kidd to Frank Robinson and Joe Morgan to Henderson and Stewart to Marshawn Lynch, Gary Payton and Damian Lillard. Tennis legend Don Budge was from Oakland, as is boxing champion Andre Ward. Oakland teams attracted celebrity fans such as onetime A’s batboy MC Hammer, E-40, Too Short and Tom Hanks.
Still, the city is on the verge of losing a franchise in four major team sports, counting the NHL’s long-ago departure. The Raiders twice inflicted indignity, leaving for Los Angeles in 1982 and again for Vegas nearly four decades later. The Warriors, after calling Oakland home for 51 seasons, moved to state-of-the-art Chase Center in 2019.
A major element of the Oakland sports legacy was flair and flamboyance. Here, the A’s 1972 World Series victory parade in downtown Oakland.
Stephanie Maze/Special to the Chronicle 1972And now, after more than 55 years and despite progress in local efforts to build a new ballpark, the A’s are poised to depart.
That’s why Dolich and Newhouse, in their book, wrote that “Oakland is America’s most abused sports city, and there is no close second.” The authors also suggested an epitaph on Oakland’s sports tombstone: “Fans gave unselfishly, owners accepted greedily, franchises moved heartlessly.”
Reach Ron Kroichick: rkroichick@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @ronkroichick