It's Time for Raiders Powell to Get the Call to the Hall

The Las Vegas Raiders lineage of excellent wide receivers reads like a who's who of the NFL, but is Art Powell overlooked and deserving of a Hall of Fame induction?

Wide receiver Art Powell, who spent four memorable seasons with the Oakland Raiders and was one of the greatest players in the 10-year history of the American Football League, once again is a semifinalist in voting for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

But what are the odds Powell finally will be enshrined in Canton, Ohio, more than 50 years after he played his final game?

“Art Powell’s accomplishments are worthy of being celebrated in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and beyond,” Frank Cooney of The Sports Xchange wrote recently. “Ask anybody who saw him play in the 1960s, long before ESPN and 24/7 NFL Network. Hell, mostly before color television. He was unforgettable.”

The 6-3 215-pound Powell was selected in the 11th round (No. 123 overall) of the 1959 National Football League Draft out of San Jose State by the Philadelphia Eagles, where he spent one season before playing three more with the New Yor Titans (now the Jets).

Then Powell, who had left San Jose State early and played two seasons in the Canadian Football League with the Montreal Alouettes and Toronto Argonauts before joining the NFL, came to Oakland, where new Coach and General Manager Al Davis signed him as a free agent.

The Raiders had struggled to records of 6-8, 2-12, and 1-13 in the first three seasons of the AFL, but Davis and Powell helped turn the Raiders around, and they posted a 10-4 mark in 1963.

Powell caught 73 passes for 1,304 yards and 16 touchdowns that season, averaging 93.1 receiving yards per game, leading the AFL in each category that season, other than receptions.

“Art was way ahead of his time in a lot of ways,” said Hall of Fame coach Tom Flores, who was Powell’s quarterback with the Raiders and later with the Buffalo Bills. “He was hard to cover before the catch and even harder to tackle after. He was a difference-maker.”

Added All-AFL cornerback Fred “The Hammer” Williamson, another of Powell’s teammates in Oakland: “Art was a big, tough, smart man who commanded respect on and off the field. Opposing teams respected him, but opposing players feared him and with good reason.

“He was one tough man, on and off the field. He was not somebody you wanted to trifle with. Ever. Anywhere. He was a quiet man whose actions spoke volumes. Let me repeat, he was feared. If he played today with these current hands-off rules, oh my gosh, Powell would dominate.”

Powell did well enough in his four seasons with the Raiders, making 254 receptions for 4,491 yards, a 17.7-yard average, and 50 touchdowns in 56 games until Davis traded him and Flores to the Bills in 1967 for Daryle “The Mad Bomber” Lamonica, who led the Raiders to Super Bowl II.

In his 10 seasons in the NFL and AFL, Powell caught 479 passes in 105 games for 8,046 yards, a 16.8-yard average, and 81 touchdowns, including a long of 85 yards for a touchdown against the Houston Oilers in his very first game in Silver and Black in 1963.

Powell remains No. 2 in NFL history for most touchdowns receiving per game at .77. That is second only to Don Hutson (.85). Powell is head of receivers such as Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Marvin Harrison, Jerry Rice—all members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In addition, Powell was selected to the All-AFL team six times, was a four-time AFL All-Star, twice led the AFL in receiving yards and touchdowns, and is a member of the All-Time AFL team (1960-69).

Powell, a big part of several racial justice actions during and after his playing days, took his lack of recognition in stride.

“I’m at peace with it all,” Powell said several years ago before passing away in 2015 at the age of 78. “I sought the American dream and was able to pursue it because of my ability to play football. I saw injustice in this country and I took action. I know I made enemies, but honestly that was not important. Did any of it make a difference? I hope so, but I’m not sure.”

Hopefully, this will finally be Powell’s time for the Hall of Fame.

The Las Vegas Raiders open training camp for the entire team on July 25, 2023.

The Silver and Black open the preseason by hosting the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Aug. 13, at 4 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. PDT.

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