'Raider Ryan': The Story of Your Raiders Fan of the Year

Las Vegas Raiders 2023 Fan of the Year, Ryan McGowen, has had quite the year.

Ryan McGowen

Ryan McGowen is as big of a Raiders fan as they come. Of course, that's why he was voted the Raiders' 2023 Fan of the Year.

McGowen, 58, has been a fan of the Silver and Black for nearly five decades, dating all the way back to the Oakland Raiders epic clashes with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the mid-1970s, when the two teams met three straight years in the AFC title game.

Today, he's known as "Raider Ryan" a fitting alias, as McGowen lives and breathes Raiders football.

Whether it's his decked-out Raiders man cave, his Raider mobile or his Raiders arm tattoo, McGowen represents the Silver and Black like none other.

Ryan McGowen

Ryan McGowen

McGowen was amongst the minority of the California-based Raider faithful who were actually excited about the team’s move to Las Vegas.

"[B]ecause I lived in Los Angeles my whole life, couldn't really afford the tickets and to fly to Oakland every other weekend for a game and get a hotel and that kind of a thing," McGowen said, "so I'm positive I was the happiest Raider fan when I found out we were moving to Vegas just because I knew I was finally going to be able to get season tickets."

And McGowen isn't just all talk. Much like a player, he puts in the effort. McGowen and his wife, Holli, who live out in Lakewood, a suburb of Long Beach, California, leave for Allegiant Stadium at 4 a.m. the day of every home game and are the first car in line for the tailgating lot, Lot J. Holli makes sure to book hotel reservations at an MGM Resorts hotel every year before the schedule release.

Despite his loyalty and commitment to the Silver and Black, McGowen was surprised to have been named a Raiders Fan of the Year nominee.

"I was shocked," he said. "I got a phone call from them, and they were like, 'Hey, do you have a minute for us to interview you?' And I'm like, 'Interview me?' I'm like, 'Sure.' So, they were just asking me a bunch of different questions to find out if I would have been a worth-while candidate kind of a thing. And then, when they told me what it was for, I was blown away."

McGowen was one of eight contestants nominated for the award, all of whom were chosen by their respective Raiders VIP team leaders to represent the Raiders' "Rep Your Nation" campaign.

The club flew the nominees out to the Raiders' training facility, Intermountain Health Performance Center, to record a promo video, where each candidate gave their pitch.

"Each home game, two of us would go up against each other where the Raiders would play a little snippet of our video," McGowen said.

Along the way, McGowen's grandson, "Raider Levi," helped promote his grandfather's campaign, encouraging fans to vote with an enthusiasm that was unmatched.

McGowen would finally be announced the 2023 Raiders Fan of the Year heading into the team's Week 18 matchup with the Denver Broncos.

As if that final week of the season could get any better for the longtime Raiders fan, McGowen was granted an opportunity of a lifetime, one that would be immortalized in Raiders history.

"As part of it, the other guy that made it to the finals, he and I were allowed to go down on the field before the game," McGowen said. "And then, they put us in the section with some of the other super fans like Gorilla Rilla and Violator. And Mark Davis walked over to us -- the owner of the Raiders -- and he said, 'Hey, what we have with you guys and Raider Nation and the Black Hole, it's what makes the Raiders so special, there's nothing else like it in the league. Would you do me the honor of you guys lighting my dad's torch before the game?'

Ryan McGowen

"So, I didn't know this, but every person that lights the torch in that ceremony before each Raider game, they put their autographs on an iPad after doing so, and then, they take those autographs and they put them on a plaque and that gets mounted to the base of the torch on the bottom of the first level. So, kind of commemorates the moment for -- I don't want to say eternity because I guess their stadium's not going to be there for eternity -- but until that stadium is torn down, that commemorative plaque is going to be here."

As the contest winner, McGowen was also treated to trips to Super Bowl LVIII and the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit, Michigan.

This past year has been full of experiences McGowen will never forget.

"It was a dream for a Raider fan, right," McGowen said. "I literally wear a Raiders hat, shirt, shorts every single day pretty much. My car is completely covered in Raiders memorabilia type of stuff ... . So, I literally represent the Raider Nation 365, 24/7, and to actually like win the contest, being that I am the Raider Fan of the Year was completely unbelievable."

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and IG @HondoSr and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.