Barry Sanders Admits He Was Never a Chiefs Fan And Enjoyed Cheering For the Raiders While Growing Up

Considering that the bulk of the Las Vegas Raiders’ success as a franchise came at a time when the concept of a team in Las Vegas seemed immoral, many do not remember the Raiders as the former powerhouse that they used to be. From 1967 to 1985, the Raiders appeared in 12 AFC Championships while winning three of their four Super Bowl appearances.

Once considered to be the juggernauts of the league, the vintage Raiders franchise instilled both a sense of fandom and work ethic within one fan in particular—a young Kansas boy who goes by the name of Barry Sanders. On the latest episode of Green Light with Chris Long, Sanders recalled how the larger-than-life personalities of the Raiders’ roster, in addition to their frequent visibility, made him a fan of the team.

“All Raiders! John Madden, Fred Biletnikoff, Cliff Branch, Dave Casper… They were always on TV and they were winning… When I was around that age [nine years old] they were in the Super Bowl against the Vikings. I remember that like it was yesterday,” he revealed.

Admitting that he never considered himself to be a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, the rushing legend enjoyed each and every victory that the Raiders found against their divisional rival. Given the rich history between the two clubs, a younger Sanders was never hard-pressed for entertainment.

While the Chiefs have managed to post an 8-2 record against the Raiders throughout the past five years, the 1970s were a different time. Between 1970 and 1979, the Raiders amassed a 13-7-1 record against Kansas City. They also swept the Chiefs in both the 1968 and 1969 regular seasons as well.

Suffice it to say, that Sanders grew up in a very different world from the one we know today.

Arguably one of the more lively divisional rivalries in the NFL’s history, both pre and post-game skirmishes between the Chiefs and Raiders were not uncommon.

“My dad used to tell me about all the fights that the Chiefs and the Raiders got into, chasing each other into the tunnel and all that stuff. It was a different day back then.”

Considering that Travis Kelce refused to shake anyone’s hand following Kansas City’s narrow 19-17 Week 13 victory against the Raiders in the midst of the 2024 regular season, it may be a fair assumption that the rivalry is still alive today. The teams may not come to blows as they used to in the olden days, but instances such as this suggest that there is a healthy amount of bad blood remaining between these two teams.

The Raiders will look to reignite their rivalry against the Chiefs in 2025 as they hope to find their first win against Patrick Mahomes since Christmas Day of 2023.