The day the Raiders sprung into being and squatted in Oakland, Bay Area football fans were in for a treat.
They just didn’t know it yet.
The 49ers, the first major league professional sports franchise ever in the Bay Area, had as their starting quarterback a local lad and Stanford product John Brodie. Poised for his fourth NFL season, Brodie was a known, if underwhelming, quantity.
The Raiders would cast their quarterbacking fates to a Fresno native, Tom Flores.
Brodie and Flores. Not bad. Brodie would eventually take the 49ers to three consecutive postseason appearances, earning an MVP award along the way.