Top 10 moments from Gruden’s first tenure with the Raiders
Jon Gruden will be back as the Raiders head coach 20 years after being hired by Al Davis at age 34. Gruden coached the Raiders for four seasons from 1998-2001, going 8-8 in each of his first two seasons before winning the AFC West with records of 12-4 and 10-6. Gruden was 2-2 in the playoffs. Here are 10 defining moments from those four seasons:
1. New Kid in Town — Jan. 22, 1998: Gruden, an offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles, is introduced as the Raiders 12th head coach at the auditorium at the club facility on Harbor Bay Parkway in Alameda. He replaced Joe Bugel, who was 4-12 in his lone season as head coach and ended with a five-game losing streak. Gruden interviewed with Davis as a prospective coordinator in 1996 and as a potential head coach in 1997. “My job is to give our players direction, give ‘em leadership and inspire ‘em,” Gruden said. Said owner Al Davis: “Something has to be done here to change the environment, and I would say we have a ways to go.”
2. The First Game — Sept. 6, 1998: The Raiders are beaten 28-8 in Arrowhead Stadium. They fall behind quickly as rookie cornerback Charles Woodson is burned for three completions including a touchdown by Andre Rison. Quarterback Jeff George is sacked 10 times, including six by Derek Thomas. The Raiders are penalized 15 times for 134 yards. “There’s some guys that finished this game hard. That’s what we’re going to build this team on,” Gruden said.
3. The First Win — Sept. 13, 1998: Greg Davis kicks a 26-yard field goal with 2:35 remaining to give the Raiders a 20-17 win before a crowd of 40,455 at the Coliseum. Jeff George passes for 303 yards and Napoleon Kaufman rushes for 139 yards to lead the Raiders. The Raiders prevail despite 16 penalties for 113 yards and four fumbles. “It’s like having your first kid. It’s a great feeling. I’m proud of the team. They had a lot of adversity and fought for four quarters,” Gruden said.
4. The Birth of Chucky — Nov. 15, 1998: Harvey Williams rushes for 79 yards on 12 carries and has a 25-yard touchdown run in a 20-17 win over Seattle at the Coliseum. At one point however, Williams goes the wrong way on an audible and incurs the wrath of Gruden on the sideline. The arched eye. The wicked smile. Crazy eyes. Profanity in torrents. Williams tells reporters Gruden looked like “Chucky,” the murderous doll from the movie “Child’s Play.” Home fans begin bringing “Chucky” dolls adorned in Raiders gear, complete with headset. The nickname sticks.
5. Magic at Arrowhead — Jan. 2, 2000: The Raiders are 7-8 going in to the regular-season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs. Al Davis later says he was considering firing Gruden, who was 15-16 as a head coach. The Raiders fall behind 17-0 at Arrowhead Stadium, but rally for a 41-38 overtime win. The Chiefs are knocked out of the postseason. Gruden celebrates wildly in a silent stadium. The win propels the Raiders into the offseason and a division title the following year. “Once you see a team that never quits, you know you’ve got a chance,” Gruden said in his 2003 autobiography.
6. Corralling the Colts — Sept. 10, 2000: Peyton Manning is slicing the Raiders to ribbons and has the Colts up 21-0 early in the second quarter and 247 at halftime. The Raiders rally for a 3831 win. in Week 2. Quarterback Rich Gannon rushes for three touchdowns and passes for two. Linebacker Greg Biekert deciphers Manning’s audibles and flummoxes the quarterback. “There were no big speeches. We knew we would get the ball to start the second half. If we could march it down the field, we were back in the game,” Gruden said. The Raiders come home feeling they can beat anybody.
7. Winning the Division — Dec. 24, 2000: The Raiders bounce back from a loss to Seattle with a 52-9 win over the Carolina Panthers to secure the AFC West and home field advantage in the playoffs. It is their first division title since 1990 when the team was in Los Angeles. Rich Gannon throws a careerhigh five touchdown passes, and the game was a blowout from the outset. Afterward, Gruden walked along the railing, exchanging high-fives from an adoring fan base. “It came down to Christmas Eve at our place. What a feeling,” Gruden said.
8. The First Playoff — Jan. 6, 2001:, The playoffs are back at the Coliseum for the first time since the Raiders and Jim Plunkett beat Houston and Ken Stabler in December of 1980 en route to a Super Bowl championship. Tory James ignites a 27-0 win over the Miami Dolphins with a 90-yard interception return on Miami’s first series. The roar of the crowd is deafening. Gruden again takes a victory tour along the stands and to the Black Hole. “After going three-and-out in the first series I sagged. Next thing you know, (James) is running down the sidelines,” Gruden said. The Raiders go on to 16-3 to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game after Rich Gannon is lost to a shoulder injury, courtesy of a belly-flop tackle by Tony Siragusa.
9. The Tuck Rule — Jan. 19, 2001: The Raiders, following a resounding 38-24 playoff win over the New York Jets, visit the New England Patriots in a divisional round game. They appear poised for a 13-10 win after Charles Woodson knocks the ball loose from Tom Brady on a blitz, with Greg Biekert recovering the fumble. On replay, referee Walt Coleman invoked the obsucre “Tuck Rule.” Incomplete pass. Adam Vinatieri tied the game with a 45-yard field goal, a low line drive, in a driving snow. The Raiders lose 16-13 in overtime. “How an official could consider it and rule it conclusive is shocking to me,” Gruden said. The Raiders’ season is over, and although no one knew it at the time, Gruden’s last game as Raiders’ head coach.
10. Traded to Bucs — Feb. 18, 2002: Owner Al Davis called Gruden at 1 a.m. to inform him he’d received an offer of two first-round draft picks, two secondround picks and $8 million in cash to trade the coach to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Contract negotiations with Gruden for an extension with the Raiders had been suspended after a three-game losing streak to close out the regular season. The Bucs had botched offers to Bill Parcells and Steve Spurrier and were desperate. Neither senior assistant Bruce Allen nor CEO Amy Trask were consulted before Davis made the deal. Davis asked Gruden if he wanted to go. “When your boss asks you if you’d like to leave, there’s really only one answer,” Gruden said. Gruden leads the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the Super Bowl XXXVII against Bill Callahan and the Raiders, where he prevails 4821 over his former team.