What Is the Las Vegas Raiders Logo?
The Las Vegas Raiders logo is a shield showing a pirate in a football helmet and eye patch in front of two crossed cutlasses, with the word RAIDERS across the top. Al Davis introduced the shield in 1963, and its black background dates from 1964.
It belongs to the Las Vegas Raiders, the NFL team founded in Oakland, California, on 30 January 1960. The team played in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994 and moved to the Las Vegas area in 2020.
The shield is available as the Las Vegas Raiders logo SVG.
Las Vegas Raiders Logo Facts
| Introduced | 1963; black background from 1964 |
| Symbol | A helmeted pirate with an eye patch over crossed cutlasses |
| Logo type | Emblem: the pirate, swords and name inside a shield |
| Earlier mark | A pirate in a football helmet on a gold football, 1960 to 1962 |
| Owner | Las Vegas Raiders |
What the Las Vegas Raiders Logo Means
The pirate gives the name Raiders a face. The team's very first logo already showed a helmeted man with an eye patch, and the shield kept him. The two cutlasses behind him are crossed with their handles up and their cutting edges down.
The original drawing came from an unknown artist in Berkeley. The description of it gives the pirate "the firm chin of a Randolph Scott", the film actor.
Las Vegas Raiders Logo History
The Raiders shield dates from 1963 and has stayed essentially the same through every move since.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 4 April 1960 | The Oakland Tribune contest names the team the Oakland Señors |
| 1960–1962 | Black, gold and white, with a pirate on a gold football as the logo |
| 1963 | Al Davis switches to silver and black and puts the shield on the helmet, with a silver background |
| 1964 | The shield's background turns black |
| 1982 | The team leaves Oakland for Los Angeles |
| 1995 | The team returns to Oakland |
| 22 January 2020 | The team relocates to the Las Vegas area |
The name came out of a "name the team" contest run by the Oakland Tribune. Nine days after the Señors were announced, the club switched to the Oakland Raiders, which had come third in the contest.
Al Davis became head coach after the 1962 season. His shield put RAIDERS at the top and the crossed cutlasses behind the pirate.
The move to Las Vegas brought no changes to the uniforms or logos apart from the wordmark. There, OAKLAND became LAS VEGAS.
Three Cities and One Shield
The team has played under three city names, Oakland, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, without the shield's pirate changing. Its AFL contemporary in Denver took a different path, redrawing its horse several times; compare the Denver Broncos logo.
For more teams like the Raiders, browse our sports logos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the pirate on the Raiders logo?
He is an anonymous helmeted pirate with an eye patch. The first version was drawn by an unknown Berkeley artist and described as having the firm chin of Randolph Scott.
When was the Raiders shield introduced?
In 1963, when Al Davis took over and switched the team to silver and black. The shield's background turned black in 1964.
Did the Raiders logo change when the team moved to Las Vegas?
No. Only the wordmark changed, from OAKLAND to LAS VEGAS, in 2020.
What were the Raiders nearly called?
The Oakland Señors, the winning entry in a 1960 naming contest. The team switched to Raiders, the third-placed name, nine days later.