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Raiders Win It For Woodson

Published

10 years ago

December 24, 2015

Oakland, CA – The final home game of the season took a detour from the rumors of the team leaving Oakland but instead said good-bye to one of the greatest defensive players in the league. After announcing his retirement last Monday, the adulation from the fans wasn’t enough without the victory to cap off an impressive season.

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Tonight’s game was dedicated to a man that embodies dedication, perfection and success. Charles Woodson’s final game became an emotional one for everybody. His teammates and coaches wanted to make the last home game special for the Safety. So he got the game ball after the Raiders came back to beat the San Diego Chargers 23-20 in overtime.

“Charles is one of the greatest players who ever put on a uniform,” said coach Jack Del Rio. “He’s a great Raider, and to be able to send him out the right way, to be able to cap a special evening like this, our last home game this year, our last chance in 2015 to make a mark here at home, I’m just really proud of the effort.”

Photo by Eric Taylor

A Chargers fumble late in the fourth led to Oakland getting the lead for the first time tonight. San Diego then tied the game forcing overtime where the Raiders prevailed with a field goal. Woodson addressed the crowd after the game, thanking them for their dedication as fans and to his 18-year career.

“It’s been a joy for me to come back and play here for a second time around,” Woodson told the sellout crowd after the game. “You guys welcomed me back with open arms as if I never left. You guys are under great leadership, and this team is going to get so much better really, really soon. Though this is my last game in the Coliseum, just know that I’ll never leave you. Go, Raiders.”

Derek Carr recovered quickly after turning the ball over on opening drive. His pass was batted away at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by Kendell Reyes. That play setup Donald Brown’s 1-yard touchdown up the middle for an early 7-0 lead. But the Raiders clapped back.

On the next drive, Carr threw five passes before Latavius Murray walked into the end zone with the 22-yard touchdown tying the game 7-7 in the first quarter. Philip Rivers then found Dontrelle Inman on a quick slant for the 7-yard touchdown to regain the lead to start the second.

Photo by Eric Taylor

A pair of field goals ended the half with Oakland trailing by a touchdown. After Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 50-yard field goal, he tied his NFL record of 52 field goals of at least 50 yards. Josh Lambo kicked a 47-yard field goal extending San Diego’s lead with 31 seconds left in the second.

Unfortunately, the penalties for the Raiders always seems to come at the wrong time. A team that had once led the league in penalties still can’t get away from them completely. An illegal formation caused a fake punt and the first down to be overturned for Oakland. Killing another opportunity for the offense.

Not much excitement by either team in the third. The Raiders started off the quarter with two ugly series failing to dominate against a struggling Chargers defense. The first sack of the night by Denico Autry led to a safety adding 2-points for Oakland late in the third cutting the lead to five.

“We just had to keep working,” said Autry. “We had been running games the whole game and one finally came through. It wasn’t set up for me. I just so happened to run into him.”

Another penalty by the Raiders proved costly, after Lambo kicked a 50-yard field goal to extend San Diego’s lead 20-12 in the fourth. But that play was nullified due to a penalty for holding. Automatic first down and Rivers went deep to find Ladarius Green for a 30-yard touchdown.

Del Rio challenged the call on the field and it was overturned because Green did not have full control of the ball, thus the touchdown was reversed. Lambo attempted another field goal this time from 48-yards and missed it wide left. 16 plays for 54 yards and no pints for the Chargers with 7:38 left in the fourth.

A huge break for Oakland came when David Johnson fumbled the ball after Malcolm Smith came up with the hit. The ball was recovered by Benson Mayowa and he ran it back for 41-yards. That setup Carr’s pass to Michael Crabtree for the 3-yard touchdown. The Raiders went for the two-point conversion to extend their lead 20-17 with 4 minutes left in the game.

“It’s part of our growth as a team, especially on the defensive side, to be resilient,” Smith said. “I think (Charles) has done a great job of setting that example all year long. It’s grown on us, and it’s rubbing off on us.”

Photo by Eric Taylor

“Obviously that’s a huge play with Malcolm able to poke that ball out,” said Del Rio. “You see (in practice) how many times we start with turnover (drills) and tackling. We’re emphasizing those things. It’s great to see it come to fruition in a big moment.”

Rivers wasn’t done yet. After unsuccessfully getting his team into the end zone, San Diego settled for 45-yard field goal to tie the game with 55 seconds left. Oakland brought the excitement in overtime, the penalties again got the best of the Raiders but the Chargers got in on the action to.

Oakland got lucky when Denzel Perryman hit Crabtree with the crown of his helmet causing a flag and an automatic first down. With great field position, Carr connected with Seth Roberts for 33 yards. Woodson was brought in on offense for a reverse play but no gain and a loss of 3 yards. That setup Janikowski’s 31-yard field goal making it a 23-20 game.

“I’m just ecstatic to be part of the C-Wood era,” Roberts said. “The little things he does, it makes me take my game farther. I’ll remember everything he did.”

The Raiders defense made stops when they needed to win the game. Rivers and his offense got frustrated and failed to convert anything on fourth down. The city of Oakland, Raiders fans and everyone who tuned into the game tonight saw a team that came together for a special moment. Whether this is the last time this team plays at O.co or not, it was a phenomenal ending to an impressive season.

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Rest in Peace: A.M.E. Pastor and L.A Civil Rights Icon Cecil “Chip” Murray Passes

The Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray, former pastor of First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME) in Los Angeles, died of natural causes April 6 at his Windsor Hills Home. He was 94. “Today, we lost a giant. Reverend Dr. Cecil Murray dedicated his life to service, community, and putting God first in all things. I had the absolute honor of working with him, worshiping with him, and seeking his counsel,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of the dynamic religious leader whose ministry inspired and attracted millionaires as well as former gang bangers and people dealing with substance use disorder (SUD).

Published

3 days ago

February 3, 2026

Oakland Post

The Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray, former pastor of First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME) in Los Angeles, died of natural causes April 6 at his Windsor Hills Home. He was 94.

“Today, we lost a giant. Reverend Dr. Cecil Murray dedicated his life to service, community, and putting God first in all things. I had the absolute honor of working with him, worshiping with him, and seeking his counsel,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of the dynamic religious leader whose ministry inspired and attracted millionaires as well as former gang bangers and people dealing with substance use disorder (SUD).

Murray oversaw the growth of FAME’s congregation from 250 members to 18,000.

“My heart is with the First AME congregation and community today as we reflect on a legacy that changed this city forever,” Bass continued.

Murray served as Senior Minister at FAME, the oldest Black congregation in the city, for 27 years. During that time, various dignitaries visited and he built strong relationships with political and civic leaders in the city and across the state, as well as a number of Hollywood figures. Several national political leaders also visited with Murray and his congregation at FAME, including Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Murray, a Florida native and U.S. Air Force vet, attended Florida A&M University, where he majored in history, worked on the school newspaper and pledged Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He later attended Claremont School of Theology in Los Angeles County, where he earned his doctorate in Divinity.

Murray is survived by his son Drew. His wife Bernadine, who was a committed member of the A.M.E. church and the daughter of his childhood pastor, died in 2013.

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Court Throws Out Law That Allowed Californians to Build Duplexes, Triplexes and RDUs on Their Properties

Charter cities in California won a lawsuit last week against the state that declared Senate Bill (SB) 9, a pro-housing bill, unconstitutional. Passed in 2021, SB 9 is also known as the California Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency Act (HOME). That law permits up to four residential units — counting individual units of duplexes, triplexes and residential dwelling units (RDUs) – to be built on properties in neighborhoods that were previously zoned for only single-family homes.

Published

3 days ago

February 3, 2026

Oakland Post

Charter cities in California won a lawsuit last week against the state that declared Senate Bill (SB) 9, a pro-housing bill, unconstitutional.

Passed in 2021, SB 9 is also known as the California Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency Act (HOME). That law permits up to four residential units — counting individual units of duplexes, triplexes and residential dwelling units (RDUs) – to be built on properties in neighborhoods that were previously zoned for only single-family homes.

A Los Angeles Superior Court Judge ruled in favor of the cities, pointing out that SB 9 discredited charter cities that were granted jurisdiction to create new governance systems and enact policy reforms. The court ruling affects 121 charter cities that have local constitutions.

Attorney Pam Lee represented five Southern California cities in the lawsuit against the state and Attorney General Rob Bonta.

“This is a monumental victory for all charter cities in California,” Lee said.

However, general law cities are excluded from the court ruling as state housing laws still apply in residential areas.

Attorney General Bonta and his team are working to review the decision and consider all options that will protect SB 9 as a state law. Bonta said the law has helped provide affordable housing for residents in California.

“Our statewide housing shortage and affordability crisis requires collaboration, innovation, and a good faith effort by local governments to increase the housing supply,” Bonta said.

“SB9 is an important tool in this effort, and we’re going to make sure homeowners have the opportunity to utilize it,” he said.

Charter cities remain adamant that the state should refrain from making land-use decisions on their behalf. In the lawsuit, city representatives argued that SB 9 eliminates local authority to create single-family zoning districts and approve housing developments.

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Funds for Down Payments and Credit Repair Given to Black First Time Homebuyers

The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) won a $10,000 fair housing settlement last November against a property management company, CIM Group LP, a global real estate company headquartered in Los Angeles, and property owner, RACR Sora, LLC, for implementing a blanket ban on renting to tenants with criminal histories at Sora Apartments in Inglewood. Three months earlier, the department, which enforces California’s civil rights laws, won another $20,000 civil rights settlement against a Lemon Grove property manager, who had targeted a Black tenant with a series of racist actions and threats of violence.

Published

3 days ago

February 3, 2026

Oakland Post

By McKenzie Jackson, California Black Media

Three months earlier, the department, which enforces California’s civil rights laws, won another $20,000 civil rights settlement against a Lemon Grove property manager, who had targeted a Black tenant with a series of racist actions and threats of violence.

CRD Director Kevin Kish said the department investigates cases of apparent racial bias in housing and sometimes more subtle acts of prejudice like nuisance-free or crime-free housing policies or holding tenants to different standards based on their race.

Kish said, “People will get evicted if they call the police. This can negatively impact victims of domestic violence. We also see these no-crime ordinances, or no-crime policies, used in racially discriminatory ways. If there is some kind of incident, and the police are called and it involves a Black family, then they get evicted, but other folks aren’t necessarily evicted.”

On April 11,1968, a week after Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, President Lydon B. Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, color, religion, and nationality.

Kish noted that William Byron Rumford, the first Black California State Assemblymember, who represented Berkley and Oakland, spearheaded the passing of the Rumford Act in 1963. That law sought to end discriminatory housing practices in the Golden State, five years before the Fair Housing Act became law.
Real estate agent and housing advocate Ashley Garner is the director of the CLTRE Keeper Home Ownership program. That organization gave 25 Black, indigenous, and people of color $17,500 each in down payment and credit repair support to purchase a home in Oak Park, a traditionally Black neighborhood in Sacramento, last fall. CLTRE obtained a $500,000 grant from the city of Sacramento to award the funds to the residents after they completed an eight-week homeownership program.

In 2021, the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) noted that around four in 10 Black California families owned homes, which trails that of White, Asian-American and Latinos.
According to Forbes, the median price for a home in California is over $500,000, which is double the cost of a home in the rest of the country.

Black lawmakers recently introduced their Reparations Priority Bill Package that includes support for Black first-time homebuyers, homeowners’ mortgage assistance and property tax relief for neighborhoods restricted by historic redlining.

California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) spokesperson Eric Johnson said CalHFA helps prospective low-income and moderate-income Californians purchase homes by offering down payment and closing cost aid. “There are lots of people who have steady jobs, good credit scores, constant income, but they haven’t been able to save up the money that traditional banks need or want to see for a down payment,” Johnson stated. “We help those folks out. We give a loan for the down payment to get them over that hurdle.”
CRD and the Department of Real Estate hosted “Fair Housing Protections for People with Criminal Histories” Zoom call on April 10.

On April 25, CRD will also hold Zoom seminars focused on advocating for fair housing for people with disabilities.