For a total of 100 days, we'll take a look at the men who have played for the Raiders jersey number by jersey number. This series will highlight some of the greatest players in NFL history. In some cases, the player and jersey number are synonymous. In other cases, the jersey number represents sustained greatness at a particular position. Some players are superstitious about their jersey number. Whatever the case may be, jersey numbers are an important part of the fabric of professional football.
Jersey No. 3's place in Raiders lore was secured by Daryle Lamonica when he led the Silver and Black to the franchise's first title – the 1967 AFL Championship. Only quarterbacks, kickers and one punter have worn this number in regular season games for the Raiders.
Ben Agajanian – K - 1962
Long-time NFL/AFL kicker Ben Agajanian spent the 1962 season with the Raiders. He played in 6 games and went 5-of-14 on his field goal attempts and 10-of-11 on extra points for a total of 25 points. Prior to his year with the Raiders, he spent 9 seasons NFL before joining the Los Angeles Chargers in 1960. He split time between the Green Bay Packers in the NFL and the Dallas Texans (Kansas City Chiefs) of the AFL in 1961. He finished his career with the San Diego Chargers in 1964.
Daryle Lamonica – QB – 1967-74
Lamonica (pictured), known as the "Mad Bomber," was acquired with Glenn Bass in a trade with the Buffalo Bills in exchange for Tom Flores and Art Powell. Lamonica finished his career as the 3rd leading passer in Raiders history, completing 1,138 of 2,248 pass attempts for 16,655 yards, 148 TDs and 115 INTs. He led the team to the 1967 AFL Championship and a berth in Super Bowl II.
Vince Gamache – P – 1987
Gamache played in the NFL for two seasons, 1986 with the Seattle Seahawks and 1987 with the Los Angeles Raiders. He only played in 3 games with the Raiders. Gamache punted 13 times for 519 yards for an average of 39.9 yards per punt, and he had one blocked.
Jeff George – QB – 1997-98
George finished his two seasons as a Raider as the 12th leading passer in team history. He completed 383 of 690 pass attempts for 5,103 yards, 33 TDs and 14 INTs. His 1997 campaign was the 3rd best single-season passing performance in Raiders history – 290-of-521 for 3,917 yards, 29 TDs and just 9 INTs. He played 12 years in the NFL for 5 different teams.
Brad Daluiso – K – 2001
Signed as an injury replacement for K Sebastian Janikowski in 2001, Daluisio played in 1 game and went 3-of-4 on field goal attempts and 1-of-2 on extra point attempts in a 24-22 loss to the New York Jets in the season finale.
Rick Mirer – QB – 2002-03
Mirer joined the Raiders in 2002 as a backup to Rich Gannon. In 2003, Mirer took over as the starter when Gannon was injured and his backup, Marques Tuiasosopo, also went down for the season.Mirer saw action in 9 games with 8 starts, completed 116 of 221 pass attempts for 1,267 yards, 3 TDs and 5 INTs. He played for 5 different teams in the NFL.
Charlie Frye – QB – 2009
Frye started at quarterback the last 3 games of the 2009 regular season and completed 53 of 87 pass attempts for 581 yards, 1 TD and 3 INTS.
Carson Palmer – QB – 2011-12
Palmer was acquired in a trade with the Cincinnati Bengals after Jason Campbell was injured during the 2011 season. He finished his time in Silver and Black as the 10th leading passer in team history, completing 544 of 893 pass attempts for 6,771 yards for 35 TDs and 30 INTs. His 4,018 yards passing in 2012 ranks 2nd in team history for single-season passing yards. He is now a member of the Arizona Cardinals.
