Blast From The Past :: Raiders History

Recently, I sent out an email to all of the AFL era Raiders players I had an email address for (about 35 in all) asking them to contribute to the site. Be it pictures, stories, whatever. The following was emailed to me from original Raiders middle linebacker Tom Louderback.

Thanks #60
LAST WEEK, MY SON (TJ) SAME NAME AS MINE, THEREFORE WE USE HIS INITIALS. TJ IS MY PARTNER AND PRESIDENT OF OUR COMPANY, BAY AREA BEVERAGE CO. A CUSTOMER CALLED FROM PLESANTON, CA. REQUESTING BOTH TJ AND I TO MEET WITH HE AND HIS PARTNER, BRONCO HINEK.
1960, BRONCO'S FATHER, FRANK, WAS THE RAIDER EQUIPMENT MANAGER. FRANK'S SON BRONCO, HELPED HIS FATHER OUT AT THE START OF OUR FIRST RAIDER TRAINING CAMP. AT THE TIME, BRONCO, WAS TEN YEARS OLD. WHEN BRONCO, LEARNED OF OUR BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP, HE WAS WANTED TO GET TOGETHER. WE SET A MEETING DATE; IT TURNED OUT TO BE ONE OF THE MOST REWARDING EVENINGS ANY ONE COULD ASK FOR.
BRONCO, HIS WIFE, AND THREE CHILDREN JOINED US, TO INCLUDE MY SON AND BRONCO'S PARTNER, OTIS NORSTRAND.
MY MEMORY FLASHED BACK TO THE FIRST DAY IN TRAINING CAMP IN SANTA CRUZ CA. HERE WAS AN EQUIPMENT MANAGER, WITH HIS SON, TRYING TO GET THE EQUIPMENT ISSUED TO THE PLAYERS INVITED FOR A TRY OUT. IF YOU RECALL, MOST TEAMS IN THIS PERIOD CARRIED 31 OR 33 ON A ROSTER.
BECAUSE THE RAIDERS WERE LATE IN GETTING STARTED, IT IS SAID THAT ALMOST 300 PLAYERS WERE IN AND OUT TRAINING CAMP IN 1960.
THE AVERAGE TEAM TODAY HAS ABOUT 75 TO 80 PLAYERS DURING TRAINING CAMP.
AFTER A LOT OF FUN CONVERSATION, BRONCO, OPENED A BAG, IN THE BAG WAS A COLORED PHOTO OF OUR ORIGINAL RAIDER '60 TEAM; I WAS PLEASANTLY SHOCKED. WHILE LOOKING AT THE PICTURE, BRONCO, ASKED, HOW WELL, DID YOU KNOW HIS FATHER? MY ANSWER, WAS, WE WERE CLOSE. I RESPECTED HIM, FOR HIS WORK ETHIC AND THE HARDSHIP FRANK FACED, DAILY, PLAYER CHANGES, COMING AND GOING THRU TRAINING CAMP, LONG HOURS, WITH LITTLE HELP. RECALLING LATE IN THE EVENING, FRANK AND BRONCO, WITH A RENTED TRUCK WOULD TAKE THE JERSEY'S AND PANTS TO A LAUNDROMAT WASHED AND DRIED FOR THE FOLLOWING DAYS PRACTICE.
I ASKED BRONCO, ARE YOU AWARE, I GAVE YOUR FATHER, A NICK NAME? THE NICK NAME I GAVE FRANK WAS THE "CLOUD?" AT THIS POINT BRONCO REACHES IN THE MAGIC BAG, PULLS, OUT A RAIDER PROGRAM FROM 1960, FEATURING THE STORY OF FRANK HIENK, RAIDER EQUIPMENT MANAGER. THE STORY GOES ON TO READ HOW I NAMED FRANK THE CLOUD. BOTTOM LINE, I COULD NOT BELIEVE, ALL OF THIS WAS HAPPENING, AND THE FACT HE HAD A GAME PROGRAM FROM '60 WAS UNREAL. THE NEXT THING, BRONCO PULLS OUT OF HIS BAG WAS A FAMILIAR GRAY T SHIRT ON THE FRONT MARKED RAIDERS AND ON THE BACK, MY NAME AND GAME #60. CAN YOU IMAGINE? I ASKED BRONCO, WHY DID THEY HAVE OUR NAME AND GAME # ON THE BACK OF THE T-SHIRT; HIS REPLY WAS, SO MANY PEOPLE WERE IN AND OUT OF CAMP (A LOT OF STOLEN SOUVENIRS) AND HIS FATHER WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE INVENTORY OF SHIRTS.
LAST, BUT NOT LEAST, BRONCO, REACHES IN THIS BAG, AND PULLS OUT MY ORIGINAL GAME JERSEY; TORN, REPAIRED WITH HEAVY STITCHING. BRONCO GAVE ME THE BLACK AND GOLD #60, ALONG WITH MY OLD PRACTICE T SHIRT.
FROM WHAT I GATHERED; FRANK HIENK SR. HAD SAVED A LOT OF ORIGINAL TEAM MOBILIA. FRANK SR. PASSED AWAY A FEW YEARS AGO. BRONCO'S MOTHER, IN TURN GAVE MANY OF THE ORIGINAL PIECES TO BRONCO.
BRONCO WENT ON TO BE THE EQUIPMENT MANAGER FOR THE SAN DIEGO CHARGERS, LATER ON TO BE THE EQUIPMENT MANAGER WITH THE 49ERS. DURING THEIR GREAT YEARS. AS A SIDE NOTE, BRONCO, ALSO WAS PROUD TO DISPLAY SEVERAL THREE SUPER BOWL RINGS.
JIM, YOU CAN IMAGINE, DRIVING HOME THAT EVENING WAS A TRIP IN NOSTALGIA, EMOTIONS AND FOND MEMORIES.