The longest tenured head coach in the NFL, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has fond memories of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, where the Raiders will play for the last time this Sunday after 40 years.
“Pretty intense fans,” Belichick said during his Friday press conference at Gillette Stadium. “It’s like Halloween every Sunday there. It’s a great environment.”
The Raiders started at the Coliseum in 1966 and returned in 1995 after a 13-year stint in Los Angeles. Belichick specifically noted his time as an assistant special teams coach and defensive assistant with the Denver Broncos in 1978.
“We’ve had some great games out there,” Belichick said. “It was very intense rivalry. There was the game and then there was all the other aspects of the game.”
The Patriots last played the Raiders at the Coliseum in 2011. The played Oakland in Mexico City in 2017.
Belichick noted the “spacious” press boxes and locker rooms with a touch of sarcasm. But perhaps the most noteworthy of all other aspects was the Black Hole.
“We kind of warmed up down there,” Belichick said. “It’s not really where you want to be as a visiting coach. (I) told players not to stand too close to me incase they would throw something and miss.”
The Oakland Raiders will move to Las Vegas to start the 2020 season.
“We’ll miss it,” Belichick said. “It’s definitely the end of an era.”
