Remembering the Greatest MLB, NFL Moments Ever at the Oakland Coliseum

David KenyonFeatured Columnist IVSeptember 21, 2024Remembering the Greatest MLB, NFL Moments Ever at the Oakland Coliseum0 of 8

Rickey HendersonFocus on Sport/Getty Images

Unless this relocation nightmare has a twist in store—and who knows, really—the Oakland Coliseum is approaching its final moments as an iconic home of professional sports.

For decades, the Coli housed the MLB’s Oakland Athletics and NFL’s Oakland Raiders. The venue will always be remembered for World Series celebrations, Super Bowl sendoffs, playoff games and so much more throughout its service in the Bay Area.

As the finale nears, let’s venture down memory lane.

The list, organized chronologically, is a dose of nostalgia as the A’s prepare to (eventually) join the Raiders in Las Vegas.

Not officially included, but close to my heart, is the Reverse Boycott in 2023 when A’s fans showed they would happily fill the Coliseum if ownership bothered to care about building a winner in Oakland.

1974: A’s Complete the 3-Peat1 of 8

Rollie FingersPhoto by Heinz Kluetmeier/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images

Formerly the Philadelphia and Kansas City Athletics, the organization moved to Oakland in 1968. It only took the A’s until 1972 to celebrate their first World Series title.

And that was simply the beginning.

Oakland repeated as champions in 1973 before winning a third straight time in 1974. The team clinched the World Series at the Coliseum thanks to Mike Marshall’s seventh-inning home run in Game 5, propelling the A’s to a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Hall of Fame closer and mustachioed man Rollie Fingers threw two scoreless innings to seal the three-peat.

1974: Raiders Win in a Sea of Hands2 of 8

Photo by Sports Illustrated via Getty Images

Two months later, the Raiders pulled out a victory in what’s still viewed as one of the NFL’s best ever.

Oakland posted a league-best 12-2 record in 1974 and hosted the Miami Dolphins, the two-time reigning Super Bowl champions, in the Divisional Round. The back-and-forth affair included a handful of lead changes, capped by the epic “Sea of Hands” moment.

Miami held a 26-21 lead, but the Raiders had reached the eight-yard line in the final minute.

Ken Stabler dropped back, started to scramble left and—because he was tripped from behind—lofted a ball toward Clarence Davis and a trio Miami defenders. Somehow, the floating pass ended up in the perfect spot for Davis and his game-winning touchdown.

Oakland advanced to the AFC Championship Game, where a familiar thing happened. More on that…now.

1976: Raiders Finally Take the AFC3 of 8

Mark van EeghenPhoto by Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated via Getty Images

Those freakin’ Pittsburgh Steelers, man.

During the 1972 and 1973 seasons, the Raiders and Steelers met up in the Divisional Round with each winning one of those contests. In 1974 and 1975, the Steelers beat the Raiders in the AFC Championship before securing the Super Bowl.

At last, in 1976, the Raiders had their revenge.

They limited Pittsburgh quarterback Terry Bradshaw to a 14-of-35 line, sacking him three times and picking off a pass. Stabler, meanwhile, threw two touchdowns in the cathartic 24-7 triumph.

Coached by the legendary John Madden, Oakland trounced the Minnesota Vikings 32-14 in Super Bowl XI to claim its first NFL title.

1991: Rickey Steals the Record4 of 8

The moment Rickey Henderson made his Major League Baseball debut in 1979, he became the sport’s most dangerous runner.

Henderson paced the AL and/or MLB in stolen bases from 1980 through 1986, then again from 1988 to 1991. In that final campaign, the speedster broke the all-time record.

Oakland Coliseum erupted on May 1, 1991, as Henderson swiped third base for his 939th steal to overtake Lou Brock.

And the celebration began immediately.

Henderson ripped the base out of the infield, hoisted it into the air and proceeded to notch 467 more steals in his Hall of Fame career. His total of 1,406 stolen bases may never be touched, especially since Brock—who played from 1961-79—is still in second place.

2001: Jeter’s Flip Stuns A’s5 of 8

I couldn’t not include it.

While each moment is otherwise a celebration of the A’s or Raiders, the hometown crowd despised this play.

Oakland jumped out to a 2-0 lead on the New York Yankees in the 2001 AL Division Series. The showdown between the MLB’s second-least expensive and highest-paid roster was clearly in the underdog’s favor.

This dreaded flip changed it all.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Yankees led 1-0. Jeremy Giambi singled, though, and Terrence Long ripped a double down the right-field line. But as Giambi chugged around third base, Derek Jeter sprinted from shortstop to the first-base line where he fielded the throw and quickly darted the ball to catcher Jorge Posada, who slapped a tag on Giambi to prevent the game-tying run. New York ended up winning 1-0 and recovered to steal the ALDS.

Yes, the A’s had plenty of opportunities—namely, Games 4 and 5—to escape the meltdown. Jeter’s flip, nevertheless, is remembered as the catalyst for New York’s comeback and the start of the Moneyball era.

2002: A’s Win 20 in a Row6 of 8

Ah, yes, Moneyball.

Unfortunately for the A’s, the iconic strategy didn’t lead to the ultimate prize. But there’s no question it worked.

Oakland’s loss to the Yankees in that 2001 ALDS doubled as the start of a new era. Star players Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon and Jason Isringhausen departed in free agency—most painfully, Giambi to New York—and the A’s were forced into a cost-conscious rebuild.

Late in May, Oakland trailed by 10 games in the AL West. “Moneyball” looked like a failure at that moment.

However, the A’s ripped off a pair of eight-game winning streaks in June and set the stage for a shocking run that began on August 13. They leaned on a star-studded pitching staff of Mark Mulder, Barry Zito and Tim Hudson and became the first team since 1935 to win 20 straight.

Scott Hatteberg, one of those undervalued additions, saved Oakland from a stunning 11-run collapse on Sep. 4.

In the top of the ninth, the Kansas City Royals scored once to officially erase an 11-0 deficit. But in the bottom half, Hatteberg smashed a pinch-hit homer to send the Coliseum into beautiful chaos.

2003: Raiders Snap Super Bowl Drought7 of 8

Zack CrockettJed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

After the franchise spent 13 years in Los Angeles from 1982-94, the Raiders returned to Oakland in 1995. They navigated a stretch of average results until a surge in 2000.

The legendary defense of the 2000 Baltimore Ravens eliminated Jon Gruden’s team in the Divisional Round. One season later, Tom Brady and the infamous Tuck Rule bounced the Raiders—who then traded Gruden to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the offseason.

Fate reunited them in Super Bowl XXXVII, but those sad memories followed a joyous day at the Coliseum.

Oakland quarterback Rich Gannon totaled 327 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-24 win over the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship. The victory catapulted Oakland to its first Super Bowl trip in 19 years.

2010: Braden’s Perfect Game8 of 8

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Dallas Braden’s mother, Jodie Atwood, died at 39 years old because of skin cancer.

“I lost my best friend when I lost my mother,” the former A’s pitcher said. “It’s hard when we play [on Mother’s Day] to devote the time thinking about her that she deserves.”

That experience led to a strange—yet perfect—start for Braden, who later admitted to being hungover on May 9, 2010. The southpaw arrived in time “to stretch and play catch” instead of going through his normal pregame routine of “poring over opposing hitters.”

What followed was an epic Mother’s Day performance.

Braden sat down all 27 of the Tampa Bay Rays who stepped to the plate that afternoon. He induced a weak groundout to complete the 19th perfect game in MLB history.

As he walked off the field, Braden embraced his grandmother, Peggy Lindsey—who raised him after his mother’s death—in what surely was an incredibly emotional hug.