| Oakland
Raiders - Netword Associates Coliseum |
| Address: |
7000 Coliseum Way
Oakland, CA 94621 |
|
| Name: |
McAfee Coliseum |
| Home Team:
|
Oakland Raiders |
| Capacity:
|
63,132 |
| Playing
Surface: |
Grass |
| Year Opened:
|
1966 |
|
Home of the Oakland Raiders
for more than 20 years, McAfee Coliseum has been
the home of the Raiders for two different stints. In the mid
1940’s Oakland officials first proposed that a new stadium
be built in the area, to try to attract a baseball and football
team. It was 1960 before a site was chosen to build the stadium
on, near the C.W. Nimitz Freeway. Construction on the multipurpose
stadium began in 1962. The stadium was constructed deep in the
ground, allowing fans to enter on the upper deck level. The
stadium was named Oakland Coliseum, and was completed in four
years. Prior to moving into the coliseum, the Raiders played
at Frank Youell Field, which had a capacity around 20,000.
The Oakland Raiders played their first
game at the Oakland Coliseum on September 18, 1966. The Oakland
Coliseum had 45,000 seats when it opened. Designed to be multipurpose,
the Raiders were the sole tenant of the coliseum for two years.
After the 1967, the Kansas City A’s (MLB) moved to Oakland,
and began playing at the stadium in 1968. The Oakland Coliseum
was built more for baseball than football. Many of the 45,000
seats were in three tiers from the right field foul pole to
the left field foul pole. Bleacher seats were beyond the outfield
wall. The Oakland Coliseum was converted two ways from baseball
to football when the A’s moved into the stadium. The
MLB season overlapped the first couple of weeks of the NFL
season. During this time, the NFL gridiron was located between
home plate and centerfield, making the conversion process
simpler. Once baseball was over with, the gridiron was located
along the first and third base areas. The Raiders played at
the Coliseum until the 1981 season. In 1982 they moved to
the Los Angeles Coliseum.
After more than a decade without the
Raiders, the city began trying to get the team to come back
to the Oakland Coliseum. As part of an agreement, the Raiders
decided to move back to the Oakland Coliseum. In November
1995, a $200 million project began to add over 22,000 seats
to the stadium. All of the outfield bleachers were removed
and replaced with a four tier grandstand, that includes 125
luxury suites. The Raiders moved back into the coliseum for
the 1996 season. In 1998, the Oakland Coliseum was renamed
McAfee Coliseum. Since the addition to the coliseum,
it has become more of a football stadium than a baseball stadium.
Back
To Stadium Index |
