6 Raiders legends named to list of best players to wear their number

Few organizations have had as many legendary players as the Raiders, and it was proven in a recent list of the best players to wear their jersey number.

This is the time of year where people are putting out rankings, and lists, as we inch closer to the teams returning to their facilities to start training camps. The Las Vegas Raiders are entering a special season in team history, as they have moved to the desert, and into their multi-billion dollar stadium.

Marcus Mosher from Raiders Wire recently listed the best player in NFL history to wear a respective jersey number. Starting with Warren Moon at No. 1, Mosher did a nice job picking one player for each jersey number, and the franchise was well represented.

From Charles Woodson at No. 24, all the way to Ted Hendricks at No. 83, there were six Raiders legends who were picked as the best to ever wear their jersey number. That says a lot about the organization, which has won three Super Bowls, and has had some of the more legendary players the game has ever seen.

In total, Woodson (24), Fred Biletnikoff (25), Marcus Allen (32), Bill Romanowski (53), Gene Upshaw (63), and Hendricks (83) made the list. All six of these are legendary Raiders, with some winning multiple Super Bowls, and all of them being some of the best to ever do it at their specific positions.

Of the six, Romanowski was the only one that really jumped out to me, as he had a decent NFL career, but was not a Hall of Fame player. Still, he epitomized what it meant to be a Raider during his time in the Silver and Black, and I can’t complain about his inclusion on this list.

Could have been seven at least

The list started with Moon at No. 1, but there is actually another legendary player who wore the Silver and Black that should have been listed as No. 00. Jim Otto played his entire 15-year career with the Raiders, and was an AFL All-Star or Pro Bowler in 13 consecutive seasons.

A Hall of Famer, Otto is a member of the NFL’s 100th Anniversary team, and helped lead the Raiders to the 1967 AFL Championship. Once the Raiders entered the NFL, he continued to be one of the best centers in the game before retiring in 1974.

We have been counting down the best Raiders to wear their respective jersey numbers, so to see the NFL as a whole be listed was fun to read. Obviously, the Raiders were well-represented, and rightfully so, as you cannot write the history of the league with the Silver and Black.