Two of the most iconic and storied franchises in all of sports will meet Saturday night when the Oakland Raiders travel to the Lone Star state to take on the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. From the uniforms, colors, and logos, to die-hard fan bases and international appeal, the Raiders and the Cowboys match-up is always compelling to watch. Both teams made a lot of noise in the NFL last season with established and up-and-coming stars on both sides of the ball. Many were hoping for a Raiders/Cowboys Super Bowl match-up. Both squads have high expectations heading into the 2017 campaign.
This week's match-up will mark the 30th preseason meeting between the clubs, with the Silver and Black holding a 19-10 advantage in the series. The Raiders also lead the all-time regular season series 6-5.
The Raiders and the Cowboys - known as the Rangers for a short time in 1960 - first met in a Sept. 9, 1972 preseason contest at Texas Stadium in Irving (which had just opened the year prior), with the Cowboys coming away with a 16-10 victory. The Raiders won the next meeting, in 1974, 27-7 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, as the two teams engaged in a home-and-home series until 1976, with the Raiders winning three in a row.
Take a look back at the Raiders vs Cowboys series through the years.
The series resumed in 1979, with the Raiders claiming a 20-13 victory in the Hall of Fame Game, in Canton, Ohio. The Raiders moved to Los Angeles after the 1981 season and didn't face the Cowboys in the preseason again until 1986 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, with the Silver and Black winning 24-19. That game kicked off six consecutive years of preseason match-up between the two teams, with the Raiders winning four of the six.
After skipping a year, the Raiders and Cowboys met annually in the preseason for 12 consecutive years from 1993-2004, with the teams splitting the series 6-6. The Raiders moved back to Oakland in 1995, and the Cowboys traveled to the Bay Area that year for the first time since 1976 as the two teams met in a regular season game.
In 2009, the Raiders made their first appearance at AT&T Stadium as the Cowboys opened their brand-new football palace in Arlington. The Raiders topped the Cowboys 31-10. The two clubs would meet again in 2010, '12, and '13. In 2014, the Raiders traveled to Oxnard, California, for spirited joint practices with the Cowboys during training camp. The Raiders had held their annual training camp in Oxnard from 1985-95.
The two iconic brands first squared off in the regular season in 1974. The Raiders own the longest winning streak in the regular season series - three games. The Raiders played the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in two rare Thanksgiving appearances for the Silver and Black in 2009 and 2013.
As was the case with the Rams, more than 30 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, including Raiders Owner Al Davis and Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones and President/General Manager Tex Schramm, and Raiders Head Coach John Madden and Cowboys Head Coach Tom Landry, have participated in the rivalry since its inception.
It may be preseason, but with a lot of star power on both sides, iconic uniforms and logos, in a state-of-the-art venue, all eyes, not just the eyes of Texas, will be upon the renewal of this long-standing rivalry.
