'Las Vegas Raiders' - Oakland's Former Team Officially Adopts New Name
LAS VEGAS (CBS SF) -- The former Oakland Raiders franchise officially introduced itself Wednesday as the Las Vegas Raiders at an event outside its new stadium.
Raiders owner Mark Davis announced the new name for the Silver and Black during a press event in front of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, which is in its final stages of construction.
The naming ceremony in front of the stadium was the last act in the years-long efforts by Davis to find a replacement for the aging Oakland Coliseum while considering overtures by other cities looking to land the franchise. Negotiations with the city of Oakland and investors looking to keep the team in the Bay Area did not advance and the Raiders officially filed paperwork to relocate to Las Vegas in January 2017.
"The Raiders were born in Oakland and played 13 seasons in LA. Both cities will always be part of our DNA," said Davis. "But today, we begin a new chapter in our storied history. For today, January 22, 2020, we are now the Las Vegas Raiders. And today Las Vegas officially becomes our Nation's capital."
A number of current and former Raiders players joined Davis on stage during the announcement, as well as Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, who read a proclamation.
"I Steve Sisolak, Governor of the state of Nevada, do hereby proclaim January 22, 2020 as the day to celebrate the renaming of the Las Vegas Raiders," said Sisolak.
Dozens of Allegiant Stadium construction workers were gathered just in front of the stage during the event.
The Oakland Raiders franchise began in 1960 and played their games at Kezar Stadium and Candlestick Park. In 1962, the Raiders moved to Frank Youell Field in Oakland - the site now part of the Laney College campus - where they played until the Coliseum opened in 1966.
The Raiders moved to Los Angeles from 1986 to 1994, playing in the Los Angeles Coliseum before returning to Oakland. The team played its last game as the Oakland Raiders on Dec. 29, 2019 with a loss at Denver.
Earlier this month, the franchise dropped the word "Oakland" from all of its social media accounts, listing itself simply as The Raiders, and was expected to add the "Las Vegas" handle when the new league year began in March.
The Raiders expect Allegiant Stadium will be ready in time for the 2020 NFL season.
