1965 Oakland Raiders season

1965 Oakland Raiders season
Head coach	Al Davis
General manager	Al Davis
Owner	F. Wayne Valley
Home field	Frank Youell Field
Results
Record	8–5–1
Division place	2nd AFL Western
Playoff finish	did not qualify

The 1965 Oakland Raiders season was the team's sixth in both Oakland and the American Football League. The campaign saw the team attempt to improve upon the prior year's disappointing 5–7–2 record. The Raiders would ultimately finish with a record of 8–5–1. While the effort was a definite improvement over the prior year's result, it was not enough to win the division and secure a postseason berth. The season would be Al Davis' last as head coach, as he would be named Commissioner of the AFL in April 1966. He would be replaced by John Rauch in 1966.

The 1965 season was the first of sixteen consecutive winning seasons for the Raiders. It is also notable for the debut of Hall of Fame wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff. Biletnikoff would be the first of several legendary Raiders drafted in the late-1960s and early 1970s. He would be an integral part of the team's 1967 and 1976 Super Bowl runs.

The season was also the team's last at Frank Youell Field. They would move to the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum for the following season.

Offseason

1965 Raiders Draft Selections^[1]

Round	Overall	Player	Position	College
2	0	Fred Biletnikoff	WR	Florida State

Season

Regular season

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 12, 1965	Kansas City Chiefs	W 37–10	18,569
2	September 19, 1965	San Diego Chargers	L 17–6	21,406
3	September 26, 1965	Houston Oilers	W 21–17	18,116
4	October 3, 1965	at Buffalo Bills	L 17–12	41,246
5	October 8, 1965	at Boston Patriots	W 24–10	24,824
6	October 16, 1965	at New York Jets	T 24–24	54,890
7	October 24, 1965	Boston Patriots	W 30–21	20,585
8	October 31, 1965	at Kansas City Chiefs	L 14–7	18,354
9	November 7, 1965	at Houston Oilers	W 33–21	35,729
10	November 14, 1965	Buffalo Bills	L 17–14	19,352
11	November 21, 1965	at Denver Broncos	W 28–20	30,369
12	December 5, 1965	Denver Broncos	W 24–13	19,023
13	December 12, 1965	New York Jets	W 24–14	19,013
14	December 19, 1965	at San Diego Chargers	L 24–14	26,056

Game summaries

Week 1

1 2 3 4 Total Chiefs 7 0 3 0 10 • Raiders 0 10 10 17 37 Date: September 12 Location: Frank Youell Field, Oakland, California Game weather: 61°F, wind 8

Scoring summary 1 KC Curtis McClinton 20 yard pass from Len Dawson (Tommy Brooker kick) Chiefs 7–0 2 OAK Art Powell 14 yard pass from Dick Wood (Mike Mercer kick) Tie 7–7 2 OAK Gene Mingo 40 yard field goal Raiders 10–7 3 OAK Gene Mingo 28 yard field goal Raiders 13–7 3 KC Tommy Brooker 34 yard field goal Raiders 13–10 3 OAK Art Powell 5 yard pass from Dick Wood (Mike Mercer kick) Raiders 20–10 4 OAK Gene Mingo 28 yard field goal Raiders 23–10 4 OAK Dick Wood 3 yard run (Mike Mercer kick) Raiders 30–10 4 OAK Claude Gibson 58 yard punt return (Mike Mercer kick) Raiders 37–10

^[2]

Standings

AFL Western Division
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	PF	PA	STK
San Diego Chargers	9	2	3	.818	4–1–1	340	227	W3
Oakland Raiders	8	5	1	.615	3–3	298	239	L1
Kansas City Chiefs	7	5	2	.583	4–1–1	322	285	W1
Denver Broncos	4	10	0	.286	0–6	303	392	L4

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

References

1. "1965 AFL Draft at databaseFootball.com".
2. Pro-Football-Reference.com