Blood is thicker than water for Jeffrey Catterson, who has selected as the Raiders representative for the NFL Fan of the Year Award.
His wife and two daughters have not only played a vital part in his life, but also embraced his love for the Raiders organization as their own. While Catterson considers himself "a mild-mannered" attorney in New York with an "everyday average Joe" appearance, he and his family bleed Silver and Black, often found crouched around TV in the living room watching games and even planning family vacations around going to NFL stadiums across the country to see the Raiders in action.
Catterson was initially captivated by the team as a child. He began watching games in Long Island, New York, with his next door neighbors who had relocated from Oakland, California. Watching Jim Plunkett and Tom Flores lead the team to two Super Bowl titles in the 1980s were among his fondest memories.
"You're a diehard Raider for life after watching those games," Catterson said. "These are a bunch of misfits or outcasts that come together and they play phenomenally together. That's something I can get behind."
The first Raiders game he attended was a Week 10 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2000 season. It was the weekend of his first wedding anniversary, and his wife had gifted him tickets for them to go together. The Silver and Black pulled out a 49-31 win to advance to 8-1. He got to see Rich Gannon throw for four touchdowns and his favorite Raider of all-time, Charles Woodson, record two pass deflections and an interception.
"That was just an amazing experience," Catterson said. "We were on the Raiders sidelines, 50-yard line, four rows up. We were next to fans that had shoulder pads with the spikes on and painted faces, but they treated us so well."
The following season, his first daughter was born the day before the infamous AFC Divisional Round game between the Raiders and the New England Patriots. In the hospital with his one-day-old daughter swaddled in a blanket with a Raiders hat on, they witnessed what we all now refer to as "The Tuck Rule."
As an extension of his fandom, Catterson has a man cave in the basement of his home decorated in Raiders memorabilia, including his favorite item – a signed Tim Brown autographed jersey gifted to him by his wife for Christmas. He received the gift in the form of his infant daughter wearing it, and describes it as a "core memory" as a fan and as a father.
Both of Catterson's daughters have adopted the "Commitment to Excellence" moniker of their father. They even still watch games together on FaceTime while living in different states.
The same daughter who witnessed "The Tuck Rule" as her first Raiders moment submitted her father's name into the contest, believing her dad is the ultimate Silver and Black supporter.
"She's been to more games with me than my wife," Catterson said. "As great as it is winning Raiders Fan of the Year, you get to go to the Super Bowl and all of these events, reading my daughter's submission and what both daughters feel growing up being Raiders fans and how I exposed them to it and what we did together every Sunday during football season – that means more to me than going to the Super Bowl.
"I'm a winner just by having my girls appreciate it. It wasn't just a sport we were watching, it was an event for us. It was a bonding event for the family."
She was also the same daughter who relayed to him that he would be the Raiders representative for the contest, leaving him "utterly shocked."
"I was so appreciative that she would do that for me hoping to give me something, but I was definitely shocked," he said. "That I was selected shows you how much my daughters and their story meant, which was phenomenal. And I'm hoping there's many more stories like that because the NFL brings us all together. Despite the dysfunction in the world, we can all bond over that."
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