On a rainy Friday night in the Big Apple, the Raiders staged a ten-point comeback in the fourth quarter to beat the New York Titans, 28-27, before 10,000 spectators at the Polo Grounds. The Raiders entered the game coming off their worst loss ever, a 38-9 beating at the hands of the Bills. At 3-4, they had fallen back to the pack after challenging the Broncos for the Western Division lead just a week ago. They did come into the game mostly healthy, though. Larry Barnes, Tom Flores, and Charley Powell had all been suffering from various forms of mild illness in recent days but would be ready to go at game time. Read more “October 28, 1960”
Tag: Al Hoisington
October 20, 1960
Billy Lott, victim of a pulled hamstring a couple of days ago, began to test it in practice today with some light jogging exercises. He was still considered doubtful for Sunday’s game. Joining him on the injured list was receiver Al Hoisington who caught a Babe Parilli pass right in the eye, giving him a shiner. Eddie Erdelatz’s response: “Nobody can say our quarterbacks aren’t hitting their targets.”
Oakland Tribune
San Mateo Times
October 16, 1960
The Patriots hadn’t lost a game on the road and the Raiders hadn’t won at home, but that was all out the window at the end. It was probably the Raiders’ best game to date, but they were also lucky to get away with a 27-14 win over the Patriots on an unseasonably warm afternoon at Kezar Stadium.
Almost immediately, things began to go Oakland’s way. On the second play from scrimmage at the Raider 13, Jack Larscheid, starting in place of Tony Teresa, took a pitch from Tom Flores and took it 87 yards for a score. And if that weren’t a rousing enough start, Ron Burton fumbled on Boston’s first offensive play and Carmen Cavalli recovered for Oakland at the Patriot 31. Flores couldn’t move his team much closer and the score stayed 7-0 when Larry Barnes’s 40-yard field goal attempt came up short.
Most of the rest of the quarter was a punting duel. The Patriots did get close enough to give Gino Cappelletti a chance to kick one from 47 yards out, but his attempt was short, too. Frustrated with Flores’s inability to move his team after the first drive, Eddie Erdelatz put in Babe Parilli late in the quarter, but on his second play Bob Soltis picked him off and returned it back to the Raider 9. Three plays later, Alan Miller took it in to score from the 2, but Riley Morris, in the game despite numerous reports saying he wouldn’t play, blocked Cappelletti’s extra point attempt and the Raiders kept the lead. Read more “October 16, 1960”
September 15, 1960
Talk about the Raiders continued to center around their financial health. Specifically, whether they could draw enough fans to stay solvent and stay in the Bay Area, or even the league. Chet Soda gave voice to the issue. “I’m a bit concerned over our attendance and income,” he said, “We hoped to do better. Maybe things will improve. All we can do is hope.”
The coaching staff believed things had improved on the field with the recent roster additions, most notably, Al Hoisington and Paul Oglesby. Eddie Erdelatz said Oglesby, a tackle replacing Don Churchwell, “has fine moves and I’m sure he will help us.”
Hoisington, a flanker, noted for his speed and size, had performed well in Texans camp, showing a knack for losing defenders in coverage, and had looked good in his first Raider practice as well.
Assistant coach Ernie Jorge was encouraged by what he’d seen from the whole team during their short week of practice following their disappointing loss to the Oilers. “We think we have things patched up,” he said, “and while we realize that Dallas is as tough as anybody in the league, we’ll make a lot better showing this week than last.”
Those same Texans had arrived in town for Friday night’s game looking to avenge a loss of their own, a discouraging 21-20 loss to the Chargers. They had led at the half, 20-7, but much like the Raiders, second half mistakes and missed opportunities had doomed their efforts.
Hayward Daily Review
Oakland Tribune
San Mateo Times