Raiders place three squads on list of 50 Most Influential Teams in NFL History

Across the last 60-plus years, the Raiders franchise has built a reputation of being one of the best in football. While the team has made only two playoff appearances across the last 20 seasons, that does not mean that they have not cemented themselves as one of the premier franchises in NFL history.

When you consider how many Hall of Fame players have worn the Silver and Black, as well as their three Super Bowl titles, the Raiders have made their mark on the history of the game. The Raiders may not have had a ton of success recently, but you cannot write the history of the NFL without the Silver and Black.

Recently, Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame enlisted the help of some football royalty to put out a list of the top-50 Most Influential teams in NFL history, and the Raiders were all over it.

3 Raiders teams named Most Influential in NFL History

Coming in at No. 44 on the list was the 1982 Raiders team, who went 8-1 and lost in the Divisional Round. That team had seven Hall of Famers on it, including head coach Tom Flores, who would go on to become the first Hispanic quarterback in NFL history, and the first to win a Super Bowl as head coach.

The 1982 team was also the first Raiders team to play in Oakland, as they won a legal battle to move their team from Los Angeles. They set a precedent in doing so, as we have seen other teams relocate since.

Coming in at No. 40 overall was the Los Angeles Raiders from 1989, a team that went 8-8 and actually missed the playoffs. This team was ranked as one of the Most Influential due to the fact they were the first to have an African-American head coach since the 1920s, as Art Shell took over for Mike Shanahan.

Shell was a Hall of Fame player for the Raiders, and from 1989 through 1994, posted a 54-38 record at the helm of the franchise.

At No. 39 was the 1980 Raiders, a team that went 11-5 and won Super Bowl XV behind Jim Plunkett as their signal-caller. That team was the first Wild Card team to win it all after the merger, and they did so in Flores' second season as head coach.

Led by a stingy defense, the Raiders had to win four postseason games to take home their second Super Bowl title, and Rod Martin had one of the more memorable Super Bowl performances, nabbing three interceptions.