| Team: | Oakland Raiders |
| Year: | 1965 |
| Record: | 8–5–1 |
| Division Place: | 2nd AFL Western |
| Owner: | F. Wayne Valley |
| General Manager: | Al Davis |
| Coach: | Al Davis |
| Stadium: | Frank Youell Field |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Shortnavlink: | Raiders seasons |
The 1965 Oakland Raiders season was the team's sixth in both Oakland and the American Football League. The campaign saw the team attempt to improve upon the prior year's disappointing 5–7–2 record, and finished at 8–5–1.[1] While the effort was a definite improvement, it was not enough to win the division and secure a postseason berth. This was the third and last season for Al Davis as head coach, as he became the AFL commissioner in April 1966, and offensive backs coach John Rauch was promoted.[2]
This was the first of sixteen consecutive winning seasons for the Raiders. It is also notable for the debut of Hall of Fame wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff, the first of several legendary Raiders drafted in the mid-1960s to early 1970s. The eleventh overall selection of the AFL draft out of Florida State, he was an integral part of the team's 1967 and 1976 Super Bowl runs.
It was also the Raiders' last year at Frank Youell Field;[3] they moved to the new Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum in 1966.
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Harry Schuh | T | |
| 2 | 11 | Fred Biletnikoff | WR | Florida State |
| 3 | 19 | Bob Svihus | T | |
| 4 | 27 | Gus Otto | LB | |
| 9 | 67 | Rich Zecher | DT | |
See main article: 1965 American Football League season.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 12 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 37–10 | 1–0 | Frank Youell Field | 18,569 | Recap | |
| 2 | September 19 | San Diego Chargers | L 6–17 | 1–1 | Frank Youell Field | 21,406 | Recap | |
| 3 | September 26 | Houston Oilers | W 21–17 | 2–1 | Frank Youell Field | 18,116 | Recap | |
| 4 | October 3 | at Buffalo Bills | L 12–17 | 2–2 | War Memorial Stadium | 41,246 | Recap | |
| 5 | at Boston Patriots | W 24–10 | 3–2 | Fenway Park | 24,824 | Recap | ||
| 6 | at New York Jets | T 24–24 | 3–2–1 | Shea Stadium | 54,890 | Recap | ||
| 7 | October 24 | Boston Patriots | W 30–21 | 4–2–1 | Frank Youell Field | 20,585 | Recap | |
| 8 | October 31 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 7–14 | 4–3–1 | Municipal Stadium | 18,354 | Recap | |
| 9 | November 7 | at Houston Oilers | W 33–21 | 5–3–1 | Rice Stadium | 35,729 | Recap | |
| 10 | November 14 | Buffalo Bills | L 14–17 | 5–4–1 | Frank Youell Field | 19,352 | Recap | |
| 11 | November 21 | at Denver Broncos | W 28–20 | 6–4–1 | Bears Stadium | 30,369 | Recap | |
| 12 | Bye | |||||||
| 13 | December 5 | Denver Broncos | W 24–13 | 7–4–1 | Frank Youell Field | 19,023 | Recap | |
| 14 | December 12 | New York Jets | W 24–14 | 8–4–1 | Frank Youell Field | 19,013 | Recap | |
| 15 | December 19 | at San Diego Chargers | L 14–24 | 8–5–1 | Balboa Stadium | 26,056 | Recap | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||||