Raiders leaving Coliseum where every Sunday was Halloween

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Let the outsiders mock the dirt infield, flooding locker rooms and antiquated facilities.

For coach Jon Gruden and many of the players who have called the Oakland Coliseum home during the team's 41 seasons there, it was a special and unique venue that had no match across the NFL.

That all comes to an end Sunday, when the Raiders are set to play their final scheduled game in Oakland before moving to Las Vegas next season. They host Jacksonville.

It will be a sentimental day for many, including Gruden, who got his head coaching career started here in 1998 and ends every win by heading to the Black Hole to celebrate with the team's most rabid supporters.

"I just love it here," Gruden said. "I had my first son here and I kind of have a lot of history here, and some of my friends, a lot of my friends are in the Black Hole. A lot of my only friends are here. I don't have a lot of friends except the guys in the Black Hole. I only get to see them six or seven times. I get emotional talking about it."

The Coliseum has served as the home for two Super Bowl champions, several Hall of Famers and memorable games like the "Sea of Hands" playoff win over Miami in 1974.

But it's what went on off the field that sometimes made it stand out even more from other venues. There are the tailgates that feature the mix of aromas of barbecue, beer and marijuana for one of the league's most diverse fan bases.

There are the distinct costumes that fans where each game, turning landscapers and lawyers into beloved and sometimes scary characters that are as much a part of the fabric of the Coliseum as the players on the field.

"It's our fans. Our fans make it that way. The Black Hole. You don't go to any other stadium and see something like that," said quarterback Derek...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Raiders-leaving-Coliseum-where-every-Sunday-was-14899944.php