1980s All-Decade Team
- Jerry Rice – Wide Receiver, 2001-04 Oakland Raiders
- James Lofton – Wide Receiver,1987-88 Los Angeles Raiders
- Eric Dickerson – Running Back, 1992 Los Angeles Raiders;
- Roger Craig – Running Back,1991 Los Angeles Raiders
- Howie Long – Defensive End 1981-1993 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
- Ted Hendricks – Linebacker, 1975-1983 Oakland Raiders.
- Mike Haynes– Defensive Back, 1983-89 Los Angeles Raiders
- Lester Hayes – Defensive Back,1977-1986 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
- Ronnie Lott – Defensive Back, 1991-92 Los Angeles Raiders
The 1980s were a period of great change for the franchise as they made their first move away from Oakland to sunny Los Angeles. Before they left they made sure to bring Oakland another title as they won Super Bowl XV in dominant fashion over the Philadelphia Eagles.
That dominance continued for several years in Los Angeles as they went on to win the division title three out of four years from 1982-85 and added another Super Bowl to the trophy case in 1983. The first half of the decade was an incredible success as the Raiders won two titles and missed the playoffs just once.
The second half of the decade was decidedly tougher as they missed the playoffs from 1986-89 and finished 8-8 or worse during that span. Despite the team’s overall struggles they still had incredibly talented players primarily on the defensive side of the ball. Names like Howie Long, Lester Hayes, and Mike Haynes formed the backbone of the defense that won Super Bowl XVIII and continued on to glittering careers after winning the ultimate prize.
Many of the players in the NFL’s 1980s All-Decade team didn’t suit up for the Silver and Black during the decade but that’s no reason not to celebrate that some of the greatest players of all time wore our colors.