Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Multi-purpose stadium in Oakland, California; home of the Oakland Athletics (1968–2024), Oakland Raiders (1966–1981, 1995–2019), and currently Oakland Roots SC; also hosts select matches for the San Francisco Unicorns.
The Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, often shortened to the Oakland Coliseum, is a multi-purpose stadium in Oakland, California, United States. It serves as part of the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Complex, located next to Oakland Arena. In 2017, the playing surface was dedicated as Rickey Henderson Field in honor of Major League Baseball Hall of Famer and former Oakland Athletics left fielder Rickey Henderson. The Oakland Coliseum has hosted the San Francisco Unicorns of Major League Cricket for select matches, but is not their permanent home. The stadium was the home of the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball from 1968 to 2024. It was also the home of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League from 1966 until 1981, when the team moved to Los Angeles, and again after the team's return, from 1995 until 2019, when the team moved to Las Vegas. For the last years of top-flight professional sports at the venue, it was primarily used for baseball. It was the last remaining stadium in the United States shared by professional baseball and football teams. It has occasionally been used for soccer, currently being host to second-division soccer league USL Championship's Oakland Roots SC, and has previously hosted select San Jose Earthquakes matches in 2008 and 2009. Additionally, it was used for international matches during the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Quick Facts
- Home of
- Oakland Athletics (1968–2024)
- Also home of
- Oakland Raiders (1966–1981, 1995–2019)
- Type
- Open-air multi-purpose stadium
Lore & Background
The Coliseum has a seating capacity of up to 63,132 depending on its configuration; an upper deck dubbed 'Mount Davis' by fans was added as part of a 1996 renovation for the Raiders' return to Oakland. In 2006, citing a desire to provide a more 'intimate' environment, the Athletics blocked off the entirety of the Coliseum's third deck during its games, which artificially limited its capacity to 35,067 (making it the second-smallest stadium in Major League Baseball at the time, after Tropicana Field). On April 11, 2017, with Dave Kaval as the team president, the Athletics began to reopen some of the sections in the third deck, and open the Mount Davis deck for selected marquee games; this configuration made it, by contrast, one of the largest baseball stadiums in the United States by capacity through 2024. The state of Oakland Coliseum has been widely criticized; sports fans and players alike consider the Coliseum to be poorly maintained and out of date. During its later years as an MLB stadium it was often cited, along with Tropicana Field, as one of the worst ballparks in the league. The Athletics played their final season at the Coliseum in 2024, moving to West Sacramento's Sutter Health Park while planning to relocate to Las Vegas.
Reader's Guide
The Coliseum was privately financed, with ownership transferring to the city and county upon retirement of the construction financing. Preliminary architectural plans were unveiled in November 1960, and a site was chosen west of the Elmhurst district of East Oakland alongside the Nimitz Freeway. Construction started in spring 1962 and was delayed for two years due to legal issues and cost overruns. The stadium opened in 1966. Over its history, the stadium has been known as Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum (1966–1998), Network Associates Coliseum (1998–2004), McAfee Coliseum (2004–2008), Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum (2008–2011), Overstock.com Coliseum (April–June 2011), O.co Coliseum (2011–2016), and Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum (2016–present). The playing surface was dedicated as Rickey Henderson Field in 2017.
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