Weekend Sports
If the Raiders fancy themselves as the Team of the Decades, then surely Marcus Marsden of Singapore (pictured left, on the left) is the Fan of the Decades.
A self described “Brit”, Marcus was born and raised in the UK. He started following the Raiders more than 30 years ago. Marcus continued following the Raiders when he moved to Hong Kong. And he has continued following them after moving from Hong Kong to Singapore a few years back.
Marcus made the arduous trip from his home in Singapore to Northern California to attend last week’s game against the Cleveland Browns.
“This was my fourth game at the Oakland Coliseum,” Marcus writes.
“And we’re 4 and 0.”
Top 10 Oakland Raiders Sports Bars
After reading my post on the Top 10 Oakland Raiders Sports Bars, Marcus wrote to me asking if I could recommend any good Raiders bars in San Francisco because he would be staying there with a friend. When I suggested Ricky’s Sports Theater and Grill in San Leandro, he said that he had already been there!
Flying across the Pacific Ocean to attend a Raiders game takes dedication. And if Marcus was hoping to cheer the Silver and Black on to victory, he got more than he had bargained for. He got to meet one of his early heroes, Greg Townsend (pictured above, on the right), up close and personal.
“He’s one of my heroes from my early days of following the Raiders in the UK,” Marcus enthuses.
“I never thought I would get to meet him.”
Not only did Marcus get to meet Greg, he also had his picture taken with the former Raider.
Emotional Moment
But the game’s real highlights were the pre game and half time tributes to Al Davis, owner of the Oakland Raiders, who died the week before.
“It was pretty emotional,” Marcus writes. “It was a great moment when John Madden lit the flame.”
And for the record, the Raiders beat the Browns by a score of 24 to 17. They are 4 and 2 for the season. They face their arch rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs, on Sunday 23 October 2011 at the Black Hole, a.k.a. the Oakland Coliseum.
Copyright: Michael Taylor Pictured: Marcus Marsden (left) and former Oakland Raider Greg Townsend (right).