10 greatest Oakland Raiders of all time

OAKLAND, : Al Davis, the owner of the Oakland Raiders, smiles as he faces reporters and photographers after a press conference at the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Arena 06 July. Davis has signed an agreement to move the Los Angeles Raiders back to Oakland, California, after leaving 14 years ago. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read JOHN G. MABANGLO/AFP/Getty Images) /

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NEW ORLEANS, LA – JANUARY 25: Arthur Whittington #22 of the Oakland Raiders carries the ball led by guard Gene Upshaw #63 against the Philadelphia Eagles during Super Bowl XV at the Louisiana Superdome January 25, 1981 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Raiders won the Super Bowl 27-10. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

2. Gene Upshaw, G

It was a huge part of one of the greatest offensive lines in NFL history and a total of two of his contemporaries are obviously included on this list as well (stay tuned). Pro Football Hall of Fame guard Gene Upshaw played 15 seasons with the Silver and Black after being the 17th overall pick in the 1967 NFL Draft. He honed his craft at Texas A&M-Kingsville and in his first 14 seasons in the league(s), he did not miss a game or start. That’s 212 contests and 24 playoff appearances.

He was a physical presence on an offensive front that included two other Hall of Famers in the aforementioned Art Shell as well as center Jim Otto (stay tuned). As a rookie, he was part of an Oakland team that fell short to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl II. But the seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro also was part of two championship teams in 1976 and 1980, when the club came away with wins on Super Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings (XI) and Philadelphia Eagles (XV), respectively. That latter title made history as the Raiders became the first wild card team to take home a Lombardi Trophy.

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