Countdown to 2020: Best Raiders player to wear No. 65 all-time
By Brad Weiss
Countdown to 2020: Best Raiders player to wear No. 65 all-time
Wayne Hawkins (1960-1969)
The Denver Broncos selected Wayne Hawkins in Round 2 of the 1960 AFL Draft, but he never played a single down with the franchise. Instead, he would go on to play his entire career with the Raiders, who picked him up in an allotment draft and made him a cornerstone along their offensive line.
Hawkins played for the Raiders during their entire ten-year run in the AFL, helping them to the 1967 AFL title. The product of the University of the Pacific was a five-time All-AFL player, playing next to Jim Otto and clearing the way for Clem Daniels to dominate the run game, and helping bring the Raiders from a perennial loser to a championship contender.
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A member of the AFL Hall of Fame, Hawkins saw his career end due to a knee injury, but not before starting over 100 games for the franchise. Hawkins was named to the franchise’s all-time team, and his ten-year run with the team solidified his place as the best Raider to wear No. 65 in team history.