5 Best Oakland Raiders of All Time

It is highly unlikely that anywhere in the world you will find a sport as rich with memorable moments and events as football.

Also, there are also not many teams out there that shaped the history of this incredible sport as the legendary Oakland Raiders did. These titans of the NFL bestowed upon us some of the greatest names this sport (or any sport in fact) has ever seen. This is why, making any list here is extremely difficult. However, according to the opinion of majority of fans here are 5 best Oakland Raiders of all time.

5. Rodney Hudson

Second round of the 2011 draft gave birth to a legend. Even though he was extremely promising during his college football years for Florida State University, no one could foresee the full potential of Rodney Hudson. His takeoff in Kansas City Chiefs did not go on so well since in the late 2012 he suffered an injury that caused him to sit out the rest of the season. However earlier this year (on March 11th to be more precise) Hudson signed a 5 year contract with Oakland Raiders for the astonishing $44.5 million deal, making him the highest paid center in the entire history of the NFL.

In the end, making any list that is supposed to contain all the greatest Oakland Raiders is almost impossible. The list of honorable mentions alone would probably be impressive enough to make even some of the best roosters blush. However, every single one of the aforementioned players has more than earned his spot.

4. Charles Woodson

In order not to perceive this list as nostalgic, we decided to include (more than justifiably) Charles Woodson to this list. Born in 1976, in the era where perhaps the best Oakland Raiders generation ravished through the NFL, this player will come to dominate the O.co Coliseum in the new millennium. This outstanding football player raises a lot of controversy both in and out of the field since as a renowned oenophile (wine admirer) he often had trouble with team’s management. This however might be just one of the many Oakland Raiders Rumors which make this team all the more interesting to follow.

3. Jim Plunkett

If we decide to award the place on this list based on the champion mentality and a spirit of the sportsman, then Jim Plunkett would definitely come in as a first spot. A cast-out (similar to Brown), Jim Plunkett’s career went almost unnoticed until he reached his 30s. Most sports analysts who even bothered to discuss him deemed his career as finished. Little did they know that his golden days as a player were in fact just about to begin. In 1980 and 1983 Plunkett won two Super Bowls and with his blood, tears and sweat wrote a new chapter in the history of this sport.

2. Art Shell and Gene Upshaw

Even though this list was supposed to be for single players it is completely impossible to either leave out or separate this dynamic duo. Some will, however, always claim that Shell is a more versatile player than Upshaw. Still, the chemistry that these two had was what truly made them both unique. The very fact that together they managed to win two Superbowls speaks more than enough of what they meant to each other and to the team as a whole. During the glory days, many considered these two to be the most intimidating Raiders.

1. Willie Brown

Now we decided to start with a genuine NFL legend and a man who has thought the world of a new meaning of the word perseverance. Brown is also a living example of how wrong first impressions may be. Having been dropped by two teams already, this player somehow found his way to the Oakland Raiders roster in 1967 and remained there for the next 12 years shaping this team’s play style in its days of glory. This NFL phoenix managed to get back on his feet and set some records that remained unsurpassed for ages to come. For this reason alone Willie Brown has more than earned a spot amongst 5 all-time best Oakland Raiders.

5 Best Oakland Raiders of All Time to History of Professional Football