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.
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.
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 .