Before Las Vegas, the Raiders called two California cities home. The franchise was born in Oakland in 1960, moved to Los Angeles in 1982, then returned to Oakland in 1995 before relocating to Las Vegas in 2020. Three cities, four distinct eras, and three Super Bowl titles along the way.
- Oakland first (1960-1981): The Raiders were founded in Oakland as a charter member of the American Football League and won two Super Bowls there.
- Los Angeles years (1982-1994): The team played 13 seasons as the Los Angeles Raiders and won Super Bowl XVIII while based in LA.
- Back to Oakland (1995-2019): The Raiders returned home in 1995 and played their final Oakland season in 2019.
- On to Las Vegas (2020): NFL owners approved the Las Vegas move on March 27, 2017, by a 31-1 vote, and the team opened Allegiant Stadium in 2020.
What’s in This Guide
- The Short Answer: Every Raiders Home
- Oakland, the Original Home (1960-1981)
- The Los Angeles Raiders (1982-1994)
- Back to Oakland (1995-2019)
- How the Raiders Reached Las Vegas
- Three Super Bowls, Two Cities
- Getting to a Raiders Game at Allegiant Stadium
- Common Questions About Raiders History
- Related Reading
The Short Answer: Every Raiders Home
The Raiders are one of the most traveled franchises in the NFL. They have had four home-city eras across 60-plus years, and only the most recent one is in Nevada. Here is the full sequence at a glance, before we dig into each era.
| Era | City | Primary Stadium | Highlight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960-1981 | Oakland, CA | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | Super Bowl XI and XV wins |
| 1982-1994 | Los Angeles, CA | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Super Bowl XVIII win |
| 1995-2019 | Oakland, CA | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | Super Bowl XXXVII appearance |
| 2020-present | Las Vegas, NV | Allegiant Stadium | First Nevada-based NFL team |
The myth: The Raiders jumped straight from Oakland to Las Vegas. In reality, the team spent 13 full seasons in Los Angeles in between, from 1982 to 1994, and even won a Super Bowl there. If you only remember the Oakland and Las Vegas chapters, you are missing a third of the story.
Source: History of the Las Vegas Raiders (Wikipedia) | Las Vegas Review-Journal’s timeline of Raiders moves
Oakland, the Original Home (1960-1981)
The Raiders started in Oakland. The city was awarded the eighth American Football League franchise on January 30, 1960, and the team played its first regular-season game that September. The early years were nomadic even within the Bay Area: the Raiders used Kezar Stadium and Candlestick Park in San Francisco for their first two seasons, then a temporary Oakland venue called Frank Youell Field from 1962 to 1965.
Everything changed in 1966, when the Raiders moved into the new Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. That stadium became the backdrop for the franchise’s first golden age. Under the famous “Just Win, Baby” culture built by owner Al Davis, the Raiders won two championships out of Oakland: Super Bowl XI following the 1976 season and Super Bowl XV following the 1980 season.
By the end of this stretch, the Raiders were a national brand with a loyal, rowdy fan base. That popularity, and a bigger media market down the coast, set up the most contentious chapter in team history.
Source: Oakland Raiders franchise history (Wikipedia)
The Los Angeles Raiders (1982-1994)
Yes, the Raiders really were the Los Angeles Raiders. The move was anything but smooth. On March 1, 1980, Al Davis signed an agreement to relocate the team to Los Angeles, but NFL owners rejected the move. Davis fought the league in court, joining an antitrust lawsuit with the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. A jury sided with Davis in May 1982, clearing the way for the team to play in LA starting that season.
The Raiders played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from 1982 through 1994. The LA era delivered the franchise’s third and most recent championship: a dominant 38-9 win over the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII, following the 1983 season, with running back Marcus Allen named MVP.
Over time the LA situation soured. The aging Coliseum, shared use with USC, inconsistent attendance, and stalled plans for a modern stadium all pushed Davis to look elsewhere. After the Rams left Los Angeles following the 1994 season, the path home opened up.
Source: Los Angeles Raiders history (Wikipedia) | San Francisco Chronicle’s California Raiders timeline
Back to Oakland (1995-2019)
On June 23, 1995, Al Davis signed a letter of intent to bring the Raiders back to Oakland, and the NFL approved the return. The team moved into its old home, the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, which was expanded with a new seating structure fans nicknamed “Mount Davis” ahead of the 1996 season.
The second Oakland era lasted 25 seasons. The highlight was a run to Super Bowl XXXVII after the 2002 season, though the Raiders lost that game to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The final chapter in Oakland closed on December 15, 2019, with a 20-16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the team’s last home game before heading to Nevada.
The Raiders are unusual in having played in the same stadium across two separate eras, decades apart. That Oakland Coliseum link is a big reason the “Raider Nation” identity stayed tied to the Bay Area long after the team left, and why the Las Vegas move stirred such strong feelings among longtime fans.
Source: Oakland Raiders franchise history (Wikipedia)
How the Raiders Reached Las Vegas
The final move was years in the making. After repeated failures to secure a new stadium deal in Oakland, owner Mark Davis, Al Davis’s son, turned to Las Vegas and a publicly supported stadium plan. NFL owners approved the relocation on March 27, 2017, by a lopsided 31-1 vote. The team kept playing in Oakland through 2019 while construction finished, then debuted as the Las Vegas Raiders at the brand-new Allegiant Stadium in 2020.
If you want the step-by-step story of that relocation, from the owners’ vote to the first game with fans at Allegiant Stadium, read our companion guide on the full Raiders relocation timeline. This article focuses on where the team lived before that 2020 debut.
Source: CBS Sports coverage of the Raiders’ Las Vegas relocation
Three Super Bowls, Two Cities
All three of the franchise’s Super Bowl titles came before Las Vegas, split between Oakland and Los Angeles. Here is how the championships line up with the team’s addresses.
| Title | Season | Home City at the Time | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Bowl XI | 1976 | Oakland | Beat Minnesota Vikings, 32-14 |
| Super Bowl XV | 1980 | Oakland | Beat Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10 |
| Super Bowl XVIII | 1983 | Los Angeles | Beat Washington, 38-9 |
Source: Oakland Raiders championships (Wikipedia) | Los Angeles Raiders championships (Wikipedia)
Getting to a Raiders Game at Allegiant Stadium
Now that the Raiders are a Las Vegas team, Allegiant Stadium sits just west of the Strip at 3333 Al Davis Way, named in honor of the owner who defined the franchise. Game days bring heavy traffic and limited, pricey parking, which is exactly where a planned ride beats circling the lots or waiting on a surge-priced rideshare.
For a group heading to a game, a single vehicle that drops everyone at the door and picks them up after the final whistle removes the biggest game-day headaches: parking, designated drivers, and splitting up in post-game gridlock. It is the simplest way to keep a tailgate crew together from hotel to kickoff and back.
Personal Sedan Services runs chauffeured transportation for Las Vegas sporting events and larger parties through our group transportation fleet, so your crew arrives together, on time, and ready for kickoff. We cover Allegiant Stadium along with the rest of the Las Vegas metro, and if your plans include a hockey night too, see our guide to T-Mobile Arena.
Book Game-Day Event Transportation
Reserve Your Ride to Allegiant Stadium
Common Questions About Raiders History
Where were the Raiders before Las Vegas?
Did the Raiders ever play in Los Angeles?
Why did the Raiders leave Oakland for Las Vegas?
How many Super Bowls did the Raiders win before Las Vegas?
What stadium did the Raiders play in in Oakland?
Related Reading
- When Did the Raiders Move to Las Vegas? The full relocation timeline, from the 2017 owners’ vote to the first game with fans.
- T-Mobile Arena Guide Everything to know about the Strip’s marquee hockey and concert venue.
- Las Vegas Event Transportation Chauffeured rides for games, concerts, and big nights out.
Methodology and Sources
This article summarizes the Raiders’ franchise location history from primary reference sources. Dates, stadiums, relocation details, and Super Bowl results were confirmed against the Wikipedia franchise histories, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the San Francisco Chronicle, and CBS Sports. No statistics or quotes were invented; every figure cited above appears in the linked sources.
