Las Vegas Raiders: The Rise and Fall of former head coach Jon Gruden
By Alex Perl
Las Vegas Raiders: The Rise and Fall of former head coach Jon Gruden
Gruden takes over in Oakland
The first two seasons of Gruden’s tenure were not spectacular by any means, solid at best, and did not end in a playoff bid, and his 1999 season record was the exact same as his debut season at 8-8. But since Gruden was handpicked especially by Davis, he was afforded a longer leash, something the last two previous coaches Mike White and Joe Bugel were not.
The turn of the century season in 2000 was the year the legend of ‘Chucky’ had begun to take hold, a nickname that he acquired from Raiders defensive lineman Grady Jackson who had stated that Gruden resembled the fictional doll character from the slasher series “Child’s Play.”
2000 was not just a monumental year for the turn of a new century, but also because the Raiders had finally once again achieved relevance. Finishing the season at 12-4, the Raiders led by quarterback Rich Gannon (whose career had been revived with the coaching of Gruden) made it all the way to the AFC championship before facing defeat to the Baltimore Ravens who would go on to win the Super Bowl that season.