1,200 Raider Oakland Fans Order Tickets

More than 1,200 fans looking forward to the Raiders’ proposed return to Oakland put money down Wednesday night for season ticket reservations.

The orders were placed at a ticket drive kickoff rally at the Oakland Coliseum, where the NFL team played before leaving for Los Angeles in 1982. There were 9,402 seats reserved, in person and by mail, by the end of the night.

George Buehler, one of the former Oakland Raiders players attending the rally, told the crowd, “It’s been years since I’ve played, but I tell you, I’m ready to go again, with this kind of support.”

The ticket reservations accepted included 42 deposits on 16-seat luxury boxes that will go for $45,000 per season. Starting today, the BASS ticket agency is taking phone reservations for season tickets.

If things go according to plan, the Raiders will return to Oakland in 1992, after their lease at the Los Angeles Coliseum expires.

However, opponents to the $428-million deal offered the team say it will put taxpayers at too much of a financial risk. Petitions are being circulated in an attempt to put the issue on the ballot and let voters decide whether the deal should be made.

“They talk about the referendum--you guys are voting right now!” former Raiders defensive tackle Art Thoms told the rally crowd, which numbered about 2,500.

In the Legislature at Sacramento, Los Angeles Assemblyman Mike Roos made it clear he’ll challenge Oakland’s plan to sell tax-exempt bonds to finance part of the Raiders deal. Roos, chairman of the Assembly bonded indebtedness committee, announced that he will will hold a special hearing April 12 in San Francisco.

Oakland City Councilman Wilson P. Riles Jr., who voted against the Raiders deal, predicted Wednesday that the $428-million deal will be killed by referendum. He proposed renegotiating the contract to eliminate all ticket sale guarantees and a $54.9-million franchise fee.