Raider Nation Origin Stories: Meet James Ramey, known for his postgame 'Victory Plunge'

Oct 23, 2025 at 10:00 AM

Levi Edwards

Digital Team Reporter

James Ramey, a retired Army Ranger, became hooked on the Silver and Black as a child growing up in central Ohio.

It was during a time when lucrative television deals weren't quite in place for the NFL yet, so only a select few teams were broadcast nationally. As such, the Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys were fixtures on his television set. And of course, many of his childhood friends were fans of their local team, the Cincinnati Bengals.

"Me being who I am, of course I go against the grain with Kenny Stabler," Ramey told Raiders.com. "And back in the day Mark van Eeghen was my favorite player. He wasn't that guy who was going to slash your knees but he was a grind it out, three or four yards, cloud of dust type of guy. Of course, they made the playoffs multiple times and I've just been a Raiders fan since."

Ramey tagged along with one of his friends to his first Raiders game, when the Silver and Black traveled to face the Bengals on Monday Night Football in 1978. It was a good day for the young Ramey as the Raiders won 34-21. Stabler threw for three touchdowns and Ramey's favorite player Van Eeghen rushed for 46 yards and a touchdown.

While serving in the military, Ramey tried to watch the Raiders play live as much as he could depending on where he was deployed. This included waking up in the wee hours of the morning with his comrades to stream games on a laptop while stationed oversees.

"It's almost like a lot of soldiers gravitate to certain teams and the Raiders are one of those teams that the military gravitates to," he said. "It's just that persona that we've built over the years. Wherever I went, we usually had multiple people that were still Raiders fans. The camaraderie is like no other."

After retiring from the military, he finally made it out to Oakland to watch the team play at the Coliseum. Ramey boasts having an undefeated record at games he's attended there.

He's also become a bit of a good luck charm for Raider Nation in part to his "Raiders Victory Plunges."

Raiders win and it’s time for the Victory Plunge #raiders @Raiders pic.twitter.com/905L3x9VI6
— James Ramey (@ABNRanger87) September 7, 2025

After relocating to North Carolina with his family, he built a pool in their backyard. For years, he's made a habit of jumping into the pool after the Raiders win.

He'd occasionally post clips of his plunge on his personal Facebook just for his military buddies to enjoy. Then, his daughter felt the content was too good to hide from the masses.

He was reluctant at first, considering himself as someone that uses social media to solely "spread a little humor and have fun." But his daughter insisted that his postgame plunges into the pool could accomplish that.

With his wife and daughter serving as his camerawomen, he began posting his animated victory speeches on all platforms – which have turned into some viral moments for Raiders and NFL fans alike. According to Ramey, players on the roster have even reached out to him with appreciation for the plunges.

"Sometimes it'll boil down to a damn field goal, so I'm just out there trying to uncover my pool and run back inside to see the game," Ramey explained.

"But it's a one take deal," he added. "So people are like, 'Oh, you rehearsed that!' No, it's just me being me."

His favorite victory plunge to date came after the Raiders defeated the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day in 2023. As for jumping into a cold pool outdoors in the middle of winter, it's not for the faint of heart.

"You always have the people who say, 'Oh, the pool's heated.' I'm jumping in that damn pool and it's in the low 40s in the water," he said with a chuckle. "Out of all the criticism, they can call me whatever, but when they say the damn pool is heated, that pisses me off because I'm in there freezing."

Nevertheless, the plunges have brought another level to his Raiders fandom, bringing him closer to the fanbase he loves being a part of. He still gets to as many games as he can either flying to Las Vegas or making trips to stadiums close to his North Carolina residence.

He can be seen wearing his custom "Victory Plunge" Raiders jersey along with his homemade Raiders flag decked out in patches of all of his military units and fan club patches he's received over the years.

"When I'm out [at games] there's a lot of, 'Hey, that's the Victory Plunge guy!' And I say, 'Yeah, I'm that old guy that just jumps in the pool."

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