Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 24, 1995 TAG: 9506260055
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: OAKLAND, CALIF. LENGTH: Long
The maverick owner said it all with his signature on a letter of intent committing the Raiders to leave Los Angeles and come back this season to Oakland, the city he abandoned in 1982.
In return, the board governing the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum has agreed to an $85 million stadium modernization and a $31.9 million loan to the team to help it complete the relocation in time to play in Oakland this season. In addition, terms call for the team to receive up to another $10 million for construction of training facilities here.
The NFL called a league meeting for the week of July 10 to act on the move, which would leave Los Angeles - the nation's second-largest media market - without a football team. Two months ago, the league allowed the Rams to leave Anaheim for St. Louis.
The league opposed Davis' move to Los Angeles, but he won an antitrust suit that cleared the way for the Raiders' departure and other franchise shifts. In addition, many NFL owners will be reluctant to block the Raiders' return because they have moved their franchises or might want to do so in the future.
``For the first time, a team that has left a town has come home!'' Mayor Elihu Harris exulted. ``The words Oakland and Raiders are synonomous, and even when they went to Los Angeles, it choked on many people's throats to have to put Los Angeles and Raiders together. And it wasn't just the smog that made it happen.''
As politicians and coliseum officials exchanged handshakes and high-fives, the coliseum parking lot was the scene of an impromptu tailgate party celebrating the Raiders' return. About a dozen people outfitted in the team's trademark silver and black regalia chanted ``The boys are back in town,'' and ``We want the Raiders.''
``Oh man, I think I'm about to explode,'' said Ricky Ricardo Jr., owner of nearby Ricky's cafe and an unofficial spokesman for local fans who clung to hopes that the team would someday return.
As a testament to their hopes, the front table at Ricky's is decked with Raider paraphernalia and carries a sign, ``Reserved for Al Davis.''
Davis turned his back on an NFL-backed proposal calling for construction by 1997 of a $250 million stadium at Hollywood Park in Inglewood in favor of going back to Oakland, where the Raiders had 12 consecutive years of sellouts before heading south.
``That was a better financial deal for the Raiders,'' said Coliseum board member Ed De Silva, who helped negotiate the terms with Davis. ``But he wants to come back to Oakland. He wants to come back [to] a city where he can win.''
The pact, approved unanimously at the end of a 29-minute Coliseum board meeting, must still be reviewed by the Oakland City Council and the Alameda County Board of Supervisors.``The Raider organization has chosen to relocate to Oakland. We look forward to a dynamic 1995 season,'' said a statement from the Raiders faxed to news organizations, with the word ``Los Angeles'' blacked out on the letterhead.
The NFL issued a terse statement that offered no opinion on the move, which must be approved by 23 of its 30 clubs.
A league source who spoke on condition of anonymity said that if the move was approved, the NFL's expansion process would be speeded up and Los Angeles could get another team, or even two teams, by 1998.
The signed copy of the agreement, presented to Oakland Coliseum president George Vukasin during a dramatic news conference, brought relief and a round of hugs and smiles among the officials assembled to discuss the Raiders' return.
``As far as the Raiders and the Oakland Coliseum, it's done. We have a deal,'' said coliseum board member Ed De Silva, who helped negotiate the terms with Davis. ``Now it will go on to the city and county for approval and final determination.''
Davis was represented at the meeting by former Raiders center Jim Otto, a Hall of Famer.
``He asked me to take some notes and be prepared to do a lot of work in Oakland in the next few months,'' Otto said. ``We have a lot of work to do to bring the team here when all this consummates, and I'll be part of putting it together.
``This is where the Raiders belong. We're the Oakland Raiders,'' Otto added. ``Al Davis always wanted to come back from Day 1. He never wanted [to] leave.''
The Raiders left Oakland in 1982 in a dispute over stadium improvements. They overcame league attempts to block the move by winning an antitrust suit that eventually cost the NFL millions of dollars in damages and legal fees. The city of Oakland also lost millions in an ill-fated suit to try to gain control of the team through eminent domain, which the Raiders fought off in court.
Ezra Rapport, Oakland's deputy city manager, said that unlike the failed 1990 proposals, the current agreement doesn't have any public subsidies for the Raiders. He said there are no revenue guarantees for the team, and the stadium modifications will benefit both baseball and football.
The Oakland Coliseum, which would be expanded to 65,000 seats for football and 48,000 for baseball, also is home to the Oakland Athletics. The number of luxury suits, which Davis lacked at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, would be doubled to 175.
The agreement also calls for the Raiders to pay $500,000 annually in rent, for there to be a $1 surcharge on all tickets to support school projects and for the Raiders to be allowed to raise money through personal seat licenses.
The personal seat licenses, which fans will have to buy to get season tickets, will range from $250 in the upper deck to $4,000 at the 50-yard line.
While Oakland officials and residents were celebrating, some in Los Angeles were wishing the Raiders good riddance.
``The likely Raider move will actually be greeted by many Los Angeles area football fans, because it will mean that the Los Angeles area will be guaranteed three NFL telecasts every Sunday morning and afternoon here instead of just the two that were here in the past,'' said Steven Herbert, press deputy for Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich.
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB