For what appears to be forever this time, the Raiders pro football team has officially announced their move away from Oakland, dubbing themselves the “Las Vegas Raiders” in an introductory news conference held in Sin City.
All notes of “Oakland” were scrubbed from the team’s Twitter account as of Wednesday, with the Raiders again leaving the East Bay city they have called home twice in team history.
The Raiders started as an AFL franchise in Oakland in 1959, and played home games at Kezar Stadium and Candlestick Park in San Francisco during the 1960 season. The first game the Raiders played at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum was in 1966.
Former owner Al Davis moved the team to Los Angeles in 1983 before moving back to Oakland after a renovation of the Coliseum in 1995.
“The Raiders were born in Oakland, and played 13 seasons in L.A. Both cities will always be part of our DNA. But today, we begin a new chapter in our storied history. For today, Jan. 22, 2020, we are the Las Vegas Raiders,” owner Mark Davis said in a video posted by the team on Twitter.
The team is a three-time Super Bowl champion and last made the playoffs in 2015, losing in the wild card round to the Houston Texans.