Leo Araguz The Punt King's Record- Breaking Jouney

In this episode of the Silver and Black Radio Podcast, host Raider Will and his crew engage with former Raiders punter Leo Araguz. They discuss Leo's journey from a young boy in Texas to becoming a record-holding punter in the NFL. The conversation covers memorable moments from his career, the importance of special teams, and the unique culture of Raider fans. Leo shares stories about Al Davis, his experiences in the locker room, and the camaraderie among players. The episode highlights the passion and loyalty of Raider Nation, emphasizing that once you're a Raider, you're always a Raider.

Takeaways

Leo Araguz's journey from Texas to the NFL is inspiring.
Punting is an art that requires skill and precision.
Leo holds the record for most punts in a game.
Special teams play a crucial role in football.
Al Davis was a mentor who believed in Leo.
Raider fans are fiercely loyal and passionate.
The black hole represents the unique culture of Raider Nation.
Camaraderie among players is a significant part of the experience.
Leo's first punt was a memorable moment in his career.
The legacy of the Raiders continues to thrive. 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Crew and Guest
01:12 Leo Araguz: A Raider's Journey
02:02 Memories of the Silver and Black
02:14 Introduction to the Silver and Black Family
04:44 Leo Araguz: A Journey from Texas to the NFL
08:16 Memorable Moments: First Punts and Record-Setting Games
11:29 Challenges and Uncomfortable Situations on the Field
15:43 The Importance of Special Teams in Football
18:56 Al Davis: The Man Who Believed in Me
22:16 Breaking Records and Recovery After Intense Games
25:00 The Art of Punting: Techniques and Strategies
26:18 The Evolution of Punting Techniques
29:23 Locker Room Laughter: The Funniest Teammates
33:16 The Unique Spirit of Raider Fans
37:35 Legends and Mentorship in Raider History

Transcript

Raider Wil (00:01.374)
And welcome back to the Silver and Black Radio podcast. I'm your host, Raider Will. And I am here with my misfit crew. got my boy, representing TBH, SAC 10, Steven Chavez. What's up, my brother?

Raiderchavez 916 (00:21.849)
Much man just chilling representing the Raider oath and ready to talk to Leo

Raider Wil (00:27.556)
Yes, sir! Yo, now representing TBH Military Chapter, it is Baby Derek Carr. I got changed! BINGO! What's up, my brother?

James @tbh_military_chapter (00:42.846)
Let's go, let's go, it's been a miss I got on this page. Yeah, life's been busy, but I decided to be here. We're gonna talk to a NFL legend that needs no introduction, but Mr. Will's gonna give him it anyway, so I'm gonna go ahead and I'm gonna hand the mic to Will, him go ahead and take care of that.

Raider Wil (01:02.622)
Yo!

Raider Wil (01:05.918)
You're talking a guy that legatron had to imitate just to get there, We got our boy, Leo Aragus. How are you today, my brother?

Leo Araguz (01:18.606)
Oh, hey, hey, doing well, brother. How's everybody over there?

Raider Wil (01:25.298)
We're doing great. We're doing great. And it's like our brother James said, man, you have the record for most punts in a game. You have the most the record for most punty yards in a game. And I'll be like, it's really unique. Leo, welcome to the show. Thank you for, you know, coming on and talking about your career and how resilient it was, how it started, how it was being a Raider and how it is to still be a Raider.

Leo Araguz (01:53.741)
Sir, it's always been a pleasure. I'll tell you what, man, it's always been an honor to be part of the Silver and Black. know, ever since I came into the team, I always thought it was a blessing in disguise. And now that I'm away from it, you know, I feel real. I feel the fact that when they say once a Raider, always a Raider, you know, here we are 30 years later and we're still big old family, holding all together with the Silver and Black, baby, no matter where the hell we are, whether we're Oakland, LA, Vegas.

No matter, we're global. So at the end of the day, man, being part of Silverlin Black and being part of that family, it's always been an honor, brother.

Raider Wil (02:30.672)
Yes, sir. Yes, sir. So, Leo, let's start from the beginning, man. You started you grew up in Texas. Give us a little bit of the background on how you started punting. And I'd be like, I know not a lot of guys go out there and go like, hey, I want to punt, you know.

Leo Araguz (02:47.66)
Yeah, agree. Well, I mean, it's a definitely a unique little story. But, you know, we go back way back. I was born in the US, raised in Mexico. So not until the age of six, I came to the US and the game that I used to love to play with soccer. So being a goalie playing goalie, I was able to be able to punt that ball. And so.

When football came around, they all saying, hey, back in the day, soccer wasn't a sport in the US, so why don't you play football and kick the ball for us? And it became very natural for me. And, you know, God blessed me in the sense that I was able to do a little different and do it well enough to go out and get a scholarship and play, you know, football for a university, Stephen of Austin. And got pretty much told that I was never playing the NFL by the Dallas Cowboys. Actually, that was my first ever.

NFL Triathlon was against the Dallas was for the Dallas Cowboys and I still remember his name Steve Hoffman told me that I would never pun in the NFL not to lose my day job. So because of that, you know, it became a little fire in my butt and so I chased a dream just trying to prove one one cat wrong and the only one that would give me the opportunity was Al Davis. He took this little freaking Mexican to go out there and kick and he said show me what you got and then I took I took advantage of it and I was able to.

play for the Raiders for four and a half years, almost five years and be a team captain and play for John Gruden. And like you said, I have a couple of NFL records that by shit, by default, thank God, I'm a punter, I love to punt. So you don't ever wanna brag when your punter is one of the best players in the team. So for me to have a record as a punter for John Gruden, it just kinda tells you.

James @tbh_military_chapter (04:38.814)
you

Leo Araguz (04:42.591)
Back in day, we struggled a little bit. So hopefully all that has turned around, man. And we finally found something that we can be proud of. And hopefully we do well this year, man. So I'm looking forward to this year that we don't use our punter. We just paid our punter lots of money. So let's make sure that we don't use that guy.

Raider Wil (05:04.542)
Hahaha

Raiderchavez 916 (05:04.679)
I'm proud to say I was at that game where you beat the record too. That was the Chargers game, right?

Leo Araguz (05:09.634)
Okay, do you remember you remember and looked at the charger game? It was a charger game and it was at home too. So, we will send to James Jett. I tell you what, that was the hardest play for me to go out and do after 16 points and kicking off. It was the hardest thing for me to go out there and hold for that extra point. And we ended up winning the game seven six with that last.

Raiderchavez 916 (05:15.923)
Yeah.

Was it Wade Wilson? Wade Wilson won the game with a touchdown pass?

Leo Araguz (05:38.219)
know, play and and it turned out to be great. Just the fact that I have that record with a win, you know, kind of adds more to it. So something that I'd like to say personally, I have an NFL record that hopefully won't ever be broken, which I doubt it. You know, if anybody has anywhere 16 punch, man, you know, that's a freaking bad game. So hopefully I stay there for a long time.

Raider Wil (06:02.622)
Oh, so Leo, we talked about like you, you had a lot of kicks. You've been out there on the field quite a few times. Tell me your most memorable punt. Like what moment was it like, hey, man, this was just a beauty or it was just something that you felt really accomplished and really like, you know, like I'm doing it.

Leo Araguz (06:02.698)
So.

Leo Araguz (06:28.212)
Yeah, well, mean for me for me the very first punt of my NFL career. I mean my first active punt, you know being on an active roster. That's the day that Al Davis brought me in and and he put me out there and we were playing. were playing. was December 6th and we were playing against Kansas City Chiefs in Oakland and there was a it was a. Windy, cold and rainy night and for being a punter, you always look at those elements and.

I was so nervous to go out there to do it. I was hoping that we would never have to punt because I was so so nervous. But then I'll tell you what, when they put me out there to go ahead and put my very first part, I remember it being slow motion because I hadn't had any time to practice with the team yet. I came in like right at Friday. I think it was Friday night. I came in and we were playing and I didn't really have a chance for anybody to see me punt.

So for me to go out there and guys not even knowing who the heck was punting was definitely something for me that I needed to prove everybody. then in my sense, I was proving to the world that I could do it. So my very first pun in the NFL is one of the best punts that I've ever had. And that was pretty much in the cold, rainy, windy day in Oakland against the Kansas City Chiefs. And I'll tell you what, that-

that 1.7, 1.8 second punt that I punted, know, the process, takes 1.8 seconds to punt. It felt like it was like 10 minutes for me. I was slow, I slowed it down so much in my head that I had done it so many times in practice that when it happened, you know, it was like literally the little slow motion, like those things that you see in movies when there's, where it's like the military guy gets shot and everything gets dark and slow motion and you see everything coming in.

I swear I counted the laces as a rotation of the ball was coming to me and the punts. I saw the ball take off. I saw the ball get caught by bat over and he tried to return it. I was like, oh my God, oh my God, just tackle him. And I went back to the sideline and I was like, that was it. That's all this is. And ever since then, you know, I was able to just say, you know what? I want to do this again. I was the only guy in the sideline. I was wishing that we would never get the first down because we I want to go out there and punch so much.

Leo Araguz (08:50.381)
I loved what I did. loved that feeling. And so for me to be on the Ricker Brooks with a 16 points in one game, I mean, that just pretty much puts the exclamation mark on my career saying that I'm going to be there forever. And so nothing to brag about when it comes to team stats, for individual stats, I love it. And so definitely my very first punt was my most memorable.

Raider Wil (09:15.326)
Alright, James you got anything my brother?

James @tbh_military_chapter (09:21.116)
Yeah, I would say if I had a question here, out of all your punts, which situation would you say was your most uncomfortable punt?

Leo Araguz (09:35.4)
The one that got blocked.

Funny you say that. But the only only pun because I always thought that I was the fastest in the league when it came to getting the ball off. So whenever you look at punters, we always look to to time them on hand to foot when we catch the ball and we put the ball on their foot and the ball's off. So the ball should always be gone in 1.2 seconds for the punter. You add the point 7.8 seconds for the snap. The ball is going to be completely.

snapped and kicked and out in less than two seconds. So when I was doing it, I was, I was super fast. So my, my get-offs were 0.9, one second, 0.8, 0.11. So with, with Adam True snapping, he would always get his snaps back there in 0.6, 0.7. So we're getting the whole pun off completely gone in 1.7, 1.8 seconds. It was gone. So by, by you looking at

looking at numbers and looking at stopwatches, they would never block our punts. Teams will become a one dimensional team because they don't worry about the block because we cannot get to him. Let's just worry on the return. So the most uncomfortable spot for me was that one time we played in Denver. And there was a blizzard. And I don't know you remember when when the Raiders, I think it was a Monday Night Football or Sunday Night Football. I can't remember when it was, but it was a big televised game.

and it was a blizzard and we were backed up on our own one yard line. So I was, I was backed up in the end zone with the old Broncos stadium where you had to stand right behind us and I was yelling. So whenever we're back, not, you know, our normal alignment is 15 yards from the ball to where I'm at. And I, and my personal protector, Randy Jordan would be seven to eight yards in front of me.

James @tbh_military_chapter (11:09.917)
Yeah.

Leo Araguz (11:33.896)
So when we got pushed back into the back into the end zone, we're short four yards. He took his normal distance from the center to where he was at, but that cut four yards from me. So literally he's like maybe four yards away from me. It takes me three yards to four yards to get my pun off. So I'm yelling at him, trying to get his attention to move up, to move up because I was gonna drill him right in the ass.

Raider Wil (11:40.382)
Leo Araguz (12:04.69)
So he never looked back, snaps the ball. I get a blocked punt. In the end zone, in the end zone goes out for a safety. So that was one of the most uncomfortable feelings knowing that I was so trapped and no one could hear me. Those dreams again, going back to dreams where you're screaming and nobody listens. You're literally screaming in your dreams that it was me trying to get Randy Jordan's attention. And I was.

Raider Wil (12:10.536)
Huh.

Leo Araguz (12:32.359)
screaming because I knew what was about to happen and sure enough the guy had a free I mean run at me and just punch, you know got that one punt block and so That was one of the most uncomfortable spots for me to be where I was backed up Jordan, you know, knew that I wasn't kicking Ryan the butt we're gonna be the laughing stock of the freaking NFL for a while, but no, it just turned out to be a block putt return for safety and

And it was it was just terrible. Just went downhill from there. We ended up losing the game. There was a big old snowball throwing contest while everybody was trying to hit those snowballs. Lincoln County got hit in the eye with a battery. He rushed to push the stands started beating some fans. I mean it was was it was bad. It just turned out to be a bad game. You know with a block pun and all that so. Yeah, not not a good feeling.

Raider Wil (13:29.566)
Yeah, absolutely. I'll be like that. That just sounds like a rough game. The fans are throwing batteries. I'll be like, you're pinned up in the back. I'll be. People don't really realize that special teams is one third of the game. And I mean,

Leo Araguz (13:36.39)
Yeah

Leo Araguz (13:47.079)
It's gotten to the point where special teams is part of the game now. mean, obviously they're paying millions of dollars to kickers and punters now. Specialists are getting paid big time money just to return the ball. You know, got deep snappers just snapping the ball. So the money that is being put into these specialists, you you start to realize, you know, that's the fastest and easiest way to win a game or lose a game. Because in one play, the whole momentum could be changed around and it always happens in special teams.

Raider Wil (13:47.39)
putting out your spec.

Raider Wil (13:58.313)
Yep.

Raider Wil (14:15.418)
Absolutely. You know what, Leo? I love that we have a special teams guys on here sometimes because it shows how important how vital all these guys are. I'll be like, people go like, it's it's just the punter, just the kicker. you're like. It's a Bassin Janikowski has the most points as a Raider and he's just a kicker. I mean, like you got, you know, you got guys like that there.

Leo Araguz (14:32.442)
No.

Leo Araguz (14:38.598)
He's just a kicker. That 280 pound kicker and he's just a kicker. He's a big boy brother. No, yeah, definitely man. get it. Yeah, people would always say, oh, it's just a kicker. just a putter. But I'll tell you what though, these coaches and these, well actually the game of football has realized that special teams is definitely a very important part of the game. nowadays, know, I say that.

Raiderchavez 916 (14:39.786)
Yeah.

Raider Wil (14:45.118)
Yeah.

Raiderchavez 916 (14:46.378)
You

Raider Wil (14:47.848)
Absolutely.

Leo Araguz (15:05.19)
that people say, well, do miss it? You know, the money that they have now and all that, you know, in my era, when I punted, it was a perfect error for me to come in and play because I was only five, 10, 185 pounds. These kickers and punters are now freaking, you know, six, three, six, four, you know, 220 pounds, chiseled guys that are kicking the ball 50, 60 yards. When we, when I played our averages to go to the pro bowl was like 43 with a 39 yard net. These cats are now averaging.

Raider Wil (15:20.483)
Yeah, what do you...

Leo Araguz (15:34.822)
54, 55 yards with a 40 some yard net. So the numbers are very different. These cats are made differently. These kids are made differently. The speed, size, you know, it's amazing. So when I played, was my, it was the era that I needed to play in. was perfect. It was definitely a blessing. And so I think timing was everything for me, but if I was to go out there and do it just, you know, nowadays that, definitely would be funny to watch to see if I'll.

I would be able to compete against these guys nowadays. Even someone like a Pat McAfee, he was wild and crazy and stuff, but I would like to see him punt now, see how he would do with these new cats and these new averages that these boys are putting up nowadays.

Raider Wil (16:21.789)
No, absolutely. So go ahead.

Raiderchavez 916 (16:22.6)
So when you finally found, when Al Davis brought you in, how did it feel to have him believe in you to go out there and pump for the Raiders? And do you have a good Al Davis story that you can tell us?

Leo Araguz (16:42.277)
Let's see, let me tell you this much. When I was at home, I was a substitute teacher and I got the phone call from a guy by the name of, my God, his name was, he was our coach, Rusty Tillman. Rusty Tillman calls me and tells me, hey, we want to bring you in. And the only reason why they were bringing me in to go pretty much try out because Jeff Gossett got hurt.

So they were going to fly in a guy by the name of Rich Camarillo, a guy by the name of Mike Saxon, myself and two other younger guys. The only reason why they brought me in was because Mike Saxon was supposed to take over for Jeff Gossett. Jeff Gossett and Mike Saxon are good friends. So Jeff Gossett didn't want to lose his job to somebody that he didn't know. He had requested the team to call Mike Saxon to fly in. Well, Mike Saxon's agent was my agent.

James @tbh_military_chapter (17:41.182)
Thank

Leo Araguz (17:41.317)
So my agent asked at the time, Bruce Allen, our general manager, he asked him for a favor to bring me in and just to take a look at me. So when I come in and try out, I had the best workout. So when we're done working out, they put us back into the lounge. When we're in there sitting and waiting for them to let us know what's going on, Davis walks in. So Al Davis walks in, sees us all sitting there.

And he points at me he says, son, you're one of the best punters we've seen in a long time, but you have no NFL experience. So I kind of looked at him and like, well, how does that work? You know, you're telling me and I'm not, I was quiet. I just saw this man walked in. my God, Al Davis. And he's telling me that he's one of the best that he's seen in a long time, but yet he's not going to sign me because I don't have any, any NFL experience. So they signed a guy by the name of Rich Camarillo.

Rich went out to practice during the week. I flew back home, went back to substitute teaching. Rich goes out and he tears his groin during practice. So then I get a call again from Russie Tillman telling me that I'm going back in for to go flying back to Oakland. And I said, well, what happened to Rich Camarillo? He said, no, he's done. I said, so another.

James @tbh_military_chapter (18:47.07)
Thank

Leo Araguz (19:03.0)
You're have another trial. says, no, Al Davis wants you to punt this game. And that's how I got the job, was the fact that Al Davis personally came back and said, no, what? Let's give this kid a chance. And ever since then, man, Al Davis, may he rest in peace. If it wasn't for that guy that he's always been known to take chances on things that don't look right or don't fit the profile. He was that guy, he was willing to give everybody an opportunity and you couldn't.

you know, you want to go out there and improve this man right because he believed in you and he gave you the opportunity. And so because of Al Davis is why I have, you know, my career in the NFL because he took a chance on a little Mexican. And so that's why Al Davis is always going to be special to me. And so Mark Davis always came around when Al Davis came around, the kickers and punters just sat around and practiced. So where did Mark go hang out with? With us. So he'd be over there just talking, you know.

Talking to shit and next thing we know, know, now Mark Davis is the owner of the Raiders.

Raiderchavez 916 (20:08.486)
I love that story, man. I'm pumped up. That's a good story. I like that

Leo Araguz (20:10.135)
So, yeah, yeah, definitely brother. Yeah.

Raider Wil (20:13.193)
Yes, sir. So, Leo, you know, you talked about how you got your chance and how you broke in. You you played in a game where you punted for 700 yards. Like, how did you how did you feel? I'd be like, did you even know what was going on that game that you're like, hey, that next thing they know, they go like, you got 700 total yards of hunting this game.

Leo Araguz (20:30.626)
you

Leo Araguz (20:38.922)
No, actually that game was crazy because again when I played, mean the way I would warm up and the way I would kick, you know, I just felt that I could kick forever and punt forever. So when I was out there punting, you know, I wasn't counting. I didn't know that I already had 16 punts or at the time 13 punts because I was just punting. I was doing my work. I was having fun.

You know, I'm showing off, but I wasn't. I wasn't realizing that our office was so crappy that we couldn't move the ball. But they're in there in the there in a game. One of the one of the reporters on the sideline know how our kicking net is on the sideline on one of the edges or one of the corners. So we're away from all the sideline stuff that's going on. So we would be real close kickers are always real close to the media. And one of the reporters walks by and tells me, hey.

You know that you already had already tied it in a four record and I kind of looked at him and said, what are you talking about? He says, yeah, you just, you just tied. you just tied the most punch in one game. And that's when it, when I realized no wonder my leg feels heavy. You know, was like, I didn't realize that I had plenty of 13 times, but that was still like in the third quarter. So I was like, my God. And so that got to the point where we just want, I just want to win the game.

Raider Wil (21:58.793)
Jesus.

Leo Araguz (22:04.534)
Just so we can justify my 16 points. You know, so for us to have the most yardage and the most punts and still win the game. mean, shoot, we we we just we just did it right that day. So I'm glad that we got out of there with a win and my record so.

Raider Wil (22:24.415)
So what does recovery day look like after that? I'd be like, people don't give punters enough credit, right? They're like, oh, you putted the ball 16 times. You're out there for 16 seconds and what, but they don't understand the physical toll that that does on your body. So like, what was the recovery like after a game like that?

Leo Araguz (22:32.812)
Right.

Leo Araguz (22:46.818)
Well, you know, the arrow that I played in, man, we used to lead with our heads. So guys were always, always in pain, always in, you know, the aches and stuff. So we always had a little cocktail of little pills that we would take after the game for painkillers. So, you know, say I deserved a pill and I deserved a little beer. So I, I numbed out that after that day, know, I didn't feel anything, but it was funny because the very next week I tied another record.

which is for zero punts. played Tampa and winning punt one time that game. So I went from 16 punts in one game to the very next week punting zero times.

Raider Wil (23:27.239)
man. So, and when it comes down to punting, can you break down the art of punting when we're talking about how do you decide what type of hang time, the placement, the distance? Like I'd be like, it's really a form of art when you get out there.

James @tbh_military_chapter (23:40.702)
Thanks.

Leo Araguz (23:48.511)
Yeah, I mean it definitely is. You know that's why they call a specialist. Not everybody can do it. You have those 300 and some out pound guys that can squad a world and they can't pump five yards, so they always wonder how the hell we can do it. So it's definitely it's definitely an art. So the when you talking about yardage and distance and hang time and all that stuff, it's all about field position. You know so.

Raider Wil (24:04.873)
Ask me.

Leo Araguz (24:16.898)
We've worked on it so much that we put ourselves in situation there in practice. You want to practice it on your inside the 20s, try to get the ball located here. But now they've gotten this Australian rules kick that they do. The end over end kicks and they try to make the ball have backspin and all that. That kick came from a guy by the name of Darren Bennett, the first Australian rules football player that got the opportunity to make it in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers.

And because of Darren Bennett, now all of sudden all these Australian rules punters want to come over here and play for the US. And that was one of their little trick kicks that they had in their bag that we ended up learning how to do that. So that was part of learning a new, I guess you would call a new brush stroke and this art of punning. So, you know, does everybody?

have that kick? No, but you have your own way of of knowing him. I gotta put this ball inside the 10, you know, on the right hash because we have like say back when I was playing, we like a Dion Sanders returning the ball for the for the Cowboys. What do you do? Well, you try to kick away from that guy, right? So he knows that so he's gonna adjust with that. So it's all about

a chess game, but you as a putter, you want to get the best ball out there and get the get the hang time as high as you can so you can give your guys a chance to get down there and cover. But, you know, I haven't really kept up with the rules and how they change all this stuff. And everything seems to be changing on the special team side on the kicking side. The kickoff got changed the way they line up, the way they go down and cover. You know, they don't want to get these babies hurt because, my God, if they get a concussion.

Raider Wil (26:00.67)
Yep.

Leo Araguz (26:07.541)
You know, shoot, we had concussions every freaking game. You know, it's like here, here's, here's a little smell, smell it and get your butt back in there. you just have a little stinger. Don't worry about it. And it's, you know, you had, you had a total of two concussions in one game. So, you know, now, now these guys that are kicking the ball, I they're kicking the ball so far and so high that if they, if, even if they get a 60 yard punt and the guy returns it for 20, it's still a 40 yard net. So.

At the end of the day, you these guys, like I said, they're just killing the ball and they're so so big. Now they shank above a 45 yards. That was my average.

Raider Wil (26:47.827)
You ain't lying. So who like in the Raiders locker room, I want to know in your time, who was your funniest teammate? Who was the guy in there cracking jokes? Who is the guy in there busting everybody's chops? We need to know Leo, who is the funniest Raider?

Leo Araguz (27:09.342)
That was it?

And I want to say that Lincoln Kennedy. He was Lincoln Kennedy. Lincoln Kennedy was one of them. When I was there, Kevin Gogin. These office alignment had some jokes, man. I'll tell you what. Believe it or not, there was a kicker that we have a name of Cole Ford. I don't know you remember Cole Ford.

Raider Wil (27:17.567)
I it Kennedy.

Raiderchavez 916 (27:19.154)
can see that.

Raider Wil (27:40.584)
Okay.

Raiderchavez 916 (27:40.798)
call for.

Leo Araguz (27:41.437)
He was also a character, but you know, Billy Joe Hobart. I don't know you remember that guy. We call Wade Wilson. We called him Whiskey Wade. All for a reason.

Raider Wil (27:50.857)
Yep.

Raider Wil (27:56.915)
whiskey Wade for a reason. Was he a Marshawn? Was he a take a shot before the game and like go in there and just

Leo Araguz (28:04.832)
Pretty much, dude, he would just be fucking all the game. We were all in the game, take a couple of shots and all that. So, I mean, it was when you're in the locker room, you're among your boys brother and you just wanna have fun and take some of the edge off. But you had those serious guys, cuz we had the Tim Brown, those guys were serious. Our quarterback was also at the time was Jeff George.

We had we had rich Gannon. So you know you just have to keep track because when when rich was there. Everybody was scared of rich because rich had a real good relationship with John Gruden. So we were scared that that rich Gannon was the one that would go back until. John Gruden, the guys that were messing around in locker room. So we kept it. We kind of kept it light, but you know we always kind of try to get by and do a little couple. You know who to mess with.

and who not to mess with. So, you know, the Lincoln Kennedy was definitely a character, very comical, very animated. And so he was funny. And then it came across a little different for me because this guy is like, what, six, six, six, seven, 350 pounds. And he's joking around, he's lying on his feet and he's like, wait a minute, that doesn't make sense. That body shouldn't be doing that, you know? And so you would think you'd have a deep voice and all of sudden.

James @tbh_military_chapter (29:03.198)
you

Leo Araguz (29:31.666)
He was very, very squeaky voice. He's like, wait a minute. But yeah, Lincoln Kennedy was definitely a character. He was a fun cat to be around. Even to this day, if you talk to him, he's a lot of fun.

Raiderchavez 916 (29:45.191)
Really nice guy.

Raider Wil (29:45.671)
he is super nice. Be like we had him on the show previously, man. Great guy. Really soft spoken, like he said, really easy going. And what you love is what you get from Lincoln is the truth. You know, he's not going to sugarcoat it. He's going to give it to you raw and he's going to let you know how he feels and especially about the writers, you know.

Leo Araguz (29:59.591)
Yeah, straight up.

Leo Araguz (30:05.501)
You know, he told us a story that when he was in Washington, when he was getting ready to get drafted, that somebody came up to him and offered him an investment deal with a coffee company and he declined it. It was Starbucks.

Raiderchavez 916 (30:23.132)
I think I heard that story.

Raider Wil (30:23.743)
man. Now he's like, should have jumped on that Starbucks.

Leo Araguz (30:26.087)
Yep. Yep.

Leo Araguz (30:33.029)
Right? No, you think about it like, hey, we're paying what? $5 for a cup of coffee? He says, no one's going to be doing that. I can see what all that was coming out, you know, and how he thought it out. You know, there's no way that somebody would be paying $5 for a cup of coffee. Now it's like what? Seven or eight bucks?

James @tbh_military_chapter (30:49.502)
you

Raider Wil (30:50.495)
Yeah, no, you're not lying. I was like, it went from like $2 to like $7 or $8 a cup of coffee. I'm like, my wife shows me the bill all the time.

Leo Araguz (30:57.054)
Yeah.

James @tbh_military_chapter (30:59.239)
Yeah, well.

Yeah, the venti is like a seven bucks. Yeah.

Raider Wil (31:05.023)
You know

Leo Araguz (31:05.181)
Isn't that crazy? Offer coffee.

Raiderchavez 916 (31:09.733)
So I got kind of a two part question. What was it like playing in front of those fans in Oakland and what makes Raider fans different than other fans around this league?

Leo Araguz (31:24.987)
I you what man, for me, you're either gonna love the Raiders or you hate the Raiders. There's no mediocre, I've heard people, well, the Raiders are my second best team or whatever. At the end of the day, we're like the silver and black, right? So we're known to be the bad boys of the NFL. So if you look across the board, all our fans are gonna be like one of those, I don't give a hell type of attitude.

Raider Wil (31:37.459)
What? What is that?

Leo Araguz (31:51.911)
We're the Raiders, whether we win or lose, we're still gonna kick your ass no matter what. So just being around the black hole, having fun with our fans, every fan that I've run into, they're all family. They're all part of us. They all bleed like us and they're gonna be diehards. You don't walk around with many people having a fucking dolphin tattoo. They don't have a Cincinnati Bangle tattoo. Yeah, there you go.

You know, so you got the shield, That shield means something. We're proud of something. So when you're out there playing in the black hole, girl, that is just freaking nuts. And it brings you in, and it's like they say, a black hole once you're in, you should never go back, brother. You know, so I've always tried to tell people, not come to the dark side, because you're not going to fucking like it. But if you do come in, know that you're going to be around good people,

Raider Wil (32:45.727)
You ain't lying, man. It is a big time thing where you come in and we bring you in as part of the family. mean, like, it's a unique situation.

Leo Araguz (32:54.077)
But it's hard to explain. People, you know, when people ask you and they try to tell you why the Raiders? Well, you know what? If you don't know, you know, you have to be in it to understand it. You got to experience it at least once, man. I tell you what, I don't know now being in Vegas, if the history is still the same like the way it was in Oakland, you know, the whole black hole deal, you know, for when I played there, that was freaking Oak Town, brother. You know, it was...

big time when it came to being a Raider. Now that we're in Vegas, you you've got people from all over the place, but that history when we were there in Oakland, was like, it was awesome, brother. I'll tell you, I miss it because the tradition, the history that we have and our fans are loyal no matter what we do. We don't ever say that we're going to Super Bowl every year like the damn Cowboys, you know?

We just know that we're go out there and beat everybody's ass whether we win or lose, know, they know they played the Raiders. Even the fans in the sidelines get their ass beat when they're wearing the wrong freaking jersey. You know, so once a Raider, always a Raider.

Raider Wil (33:53.585)
Yes, sir!

Raider Wil (34:04.383)
You know, I absolutely love that. I love that man. Leo, you hit it right on the head, man. I'll be like, the biggest thing I've always heard is when you were in Oakland, the things that you knew that you were going to hear, that it was loud, that you could hear, you could feel the guy, you could feel the pressure coming. And you can smell Oakland at the same time.

Raiderchavez 916 (34:05.504)
Absolutely.

Leo Araguz (34:29.264)
yeah, brother. yeah.

Raiderchavez 916 (34:30.54)
Yeah, there was plenty of smells.

Raider Wil (34:34.131)
That's plenty of crazy smells going on in the the Oak Town Coliseum. But you know.

Leo Araguz (34:39.654)
And I'll tell you what, man, if that locker room could talk. mean, some of the people that have been through that damn thing, it was awesome. It was awesome. I miss it. But hey, like I said, no matter where the hell we are, we're gonna fucking always be the Raiders.

Raider Wil (34:55.999)
Absolutely. you were, since you were around, know, and you know, Raiders legends are always around the team. There's always players, older players, we had Willie Brown, you have a lot of guys that always get back. Who was the player that, you know, kind of shocked you or kind of brought you under their wing or like, you know, kind of just was like, Hey Leo, like this is who I am. And you were, you know, kind of starstruck.

Leo Araguz (35:21.829)
tell you what man, Freddie B was one of the guys that really took me under his wings. Those guys were always around. Jack Tate would always come around. Willie Brown would always be around. Atkinson would always be around. Those guys that would always come in. Ted Hendricks would always... Al Davis would always bring in the Raiders, the alumni. I met George Blanda on the sideline.

When they say they're going back to once a Raider, I was a Raider. It's serious when it comes to the Raiders because your family, no matter what era you played, everybody gets together. In about two weeks, we're going to Vegas for the alumni weekend. so, Davis continues the tradition that Al Davis had in bringing in all the Raiders. So when you're there, you have arrows of all different type of years that the guys played.

James @tbh_military_chapter (35:57.982)
Thank

James @tbh_military_chapter (36:06.206)
Thank

Leo Araguz (36:20.539)
But we're all one big family. it doesn't matter what year you played. You might be sitting guys that played back in the 70s in the same table as the guys that played in the 2000s. And they're all talking football. And it's all like guys know each other because you're a Raider, you're family, and it's up to you just like you would be like a brother to them. It's awesome.

Raider Wil (36:44.808)
I wish I could be there. I wish I could just you know slither in that back room and be like guys. What's up?

Leo Araguz (36:49.339)
you

Yeah, and we're playing the Niners too that game. So it's a preseason game against the Niners at Vegas. So we'll be playing the 40 whiners.

Raiderchavez 916 (36:56.464)
Yeah.

Raider Wil (37:03.007)
So are you going to be out there, Leo?

Leo Araguz (37:05.327)
Yeah, I'll be up there. I can't miss it, brother.

Raider Wil (37:07.471)
Alright, ayy!

So guys, if you guys are listening out there, what I want you to do is I want you to make sure you hook up with our boy Leo, take lots of pictures. Hey, show him some love, man. Show how the black hole does it where we take care of each other. And it's all love, baby. Yo. So baby, DC, what you got, baby? You got anything before we go out?

Leo Araguz (37:27.675)
Yes sir, yes sir.

James @tbh_military_chapter (37:36.988)
Nah, I mean, think you guys pretty much covered pretty much everything. I'm just kind of... I'm just kind of here astonishing, astonishing listening, so I'm good.

Raider Wil (37:44.159)
Now you got them all starstruck Leo you got them all starstruck, but you got our boy James. Hey

Leo Araguz (37:47.418)
Yeah, we got baby car there. You can't say much,

Raiderchavez 916 (37:55.697)
He's not normally short for words, so... Credit to you, Leo.

Raider Wil (37:59.003)
It's shocking. mean like... Yes. Absolutely.

Leo Araguz (38:00.12)
I hear you, brother.

I appreciate you. mean, we got some stories. We'll have a beer and we'll tell you the real stories, brother.

James @tbh_military_chapter (38:10.558)
okay.

Raider Wil (38:10.567)
Hey, that's exactly what I want to hear. So, hey, guys, Leo is in the big TX. So if you guys are a T.B.H. chapter down there in Texas, hit us up. Leo would love to come out, be a part of your watch parties, be a part of Raider Nation. So a T.B.H. Dallas, Henry, T.B.H. San Antonio. We got T.B.H.

Raiderchavez 916 (38:14.065)
There you go.

Leo Araguz (38:15.226)
You want me to do it, sir?

Raider Wil (38:39.945)
Houston out there. We got that tbh for hood and

One more I Can't come back to my mind but guys make sure that you guys are locked in make sure you hit up Leo Make sure you hit up Steven Steven has all the connections guys. He's down below me I can see him in this screen. So make sure that you hit him up and he'll hook you up with Leo We'll get you guys out there and we'll get you guys engaged Leo you got anything for the black hole before we get out of here?

Leo Araguz (39:13.785)
I tell you what guys, whenever you go out there, make sure we represent the civil and black. The way we know how this thing goes, man, and I love when we hear that.

Raider Wil (39:27.327)
I'm just getting electrified right now, baby. guys, remember, so Leo will be out there for the 49er game preseason. Go out there, engage, be part of the fun, be part of the family. Yo, until next time, guys, it's all about one nation. It's all about one team. It's all about the Raiders!

Raiderchavez 916 (39:27.875)
Let's go! Let's go!

Leo Araguz (39:29.625)
You

I can't wait!

James @tbh_military_chapter (39:54.206)
Yeah.