Oakland South on the Draft Day

On April 26th, 2008 the NFL held its annual rite of passage as college hopefuls transition from unpaid athletes to millionaires during a grueling two day marathon of drafting by pro teams. The event, held in the sports Mecca of New York started at 3:00 PM and the first two rounds concluded about 6 hours later.

With the fourth pick in the draft, and no other foreseeable first day pick, the Raiders would have to make that one pick count. And according to many draft analysts they did just that, selecting Darren McFadden, a sometimes troubled running back from Arkansas. McFadden, who was widely considered one of the finest pure athletes in the draft, and certainly the cream of the crop among running backs, was on the platform shaking hands and taking pictures with the latest version of Pete Roselle in a matter of moments, with a well earned million dollar smile.

Raiderfans.net was on hand at the draft as photographer, Bob Carr, and writer Eric Stroud took on the daunting task of fighting for room to get their chance at covering the event.

At the same time, many members of the prestigious site were at Ricky’s in Oakland along with many current and former players, several team cheerleaders, and lots of adult beverages to enjoy the event.

But, in a little southern town there was another group who gathered to celebrate the draft. El Mason, an authentic Mexican restaurant in Chattanooga was host to a Raider style draft party hosted by Tom Coke, who coordinated the event. Also in attendance, were former NFL players Bruce Wilkerson and Harry Galbreath. Wilkerson and Galbreath went to the University of Tennessee and were on hand to add a bit of flavor to the event with stories and comments on the draft as the day went on.

Galbreath, an 8th round selection by the Miami Dolphins in 1988, played 9 years in the NFL and played for three teams, including the Green Bay Packers for three years. Named to the all rookie team his first year, he lined up next to Miami alum Richmond Webb and protected the gold standard among Quarterbacks, Dan Marino for five of his nine years.

(Raiderfans.net members Adam and Cheryl with Harry Galbreath)

Wilkerson is well known to many members of the Raiderfans.net site as he has become a staple of fan interaction, having attended many of the site’s events. Wilkerson was selected by the Raiders in the 2nd round of the 1987 NFL draft and played for two additional teams in his career, netting a Super Bowl ring with the Packers along the way.

(Long time Packer fan Cory Day with Bruce Wilkerson)

Wilkerson was asked prior to the draft who the Raiders would select. “I think it will be between Ellis (USC defensive lineman) and Dorsey (LSU defensive lineman)”. When the Raiders selected McFadden, Wilkerson just laughed a bit. To him, it was a typical Al Davis move, taking the best athlete available.

Various members of the site who were on hand had other opinions ranging from Chris Long (who was selected #2 in the draft) to trading down, but in the end, McFadden was the choice. According to Michael Bush, who was called after the pick, he was very happy with the pick. Bush said “We are going to be the best running one-two punch in the entire league. I’m thrilled with the selection and cannot wait to work with him”.

Also on hand was Coke’s Raider Avalanche with pictures that map out a history of the team that garnered more than its share of attention from the people stopping by for great food at El Mason. The truck has been to many events, including several Raider games both in Oakland and at games in hostile cities.


(The Truck)

The draft party did not only contain Raider fans. On hand were fans of the Saints and the Packers as well as fans from many teams who stopped by to enjoy the party atmosphere as the day went on. Galbreath even got on the phone with my brother, who is a Dolphin fan, and gave him a thrill as they discussed the team for about five minutes. Both Wilkerson and Galbreath signed a football for him with Galbreath writing on the ball “The best offensive lineman on the team”. Wilkerson, always the generous man that he is, allowed the Packer fan to try on his Super Bowl ring, and thrilled him with stories about blocking for Brett Favre. Asked about his retirement and rumors that he was planning on returning, Wilkerson replied “He is just screwing around with everyone a bit” in reference to a recent appearance on the David Letterman show when Favre implied he might get the itch to play again in the fall.

After the Raiders selected, the wait began as speculation was that Davis would attempt to move back into one of the first two rounds to get another first day selection. With lots of great food on hand prepared by the fine staff at El Mason, and plenty of drinks to be had, the party was definitely in full swing. When the last few picks of the first day were being called out, it became evident that the Raiders would stay pat with the picks they had, and the party began to wind down.

The Draft may have been in New York, and the team may be from Oakland, but on April 26th, the town of Chattanooga became Oakland South. And those memories of the draft will remain a great blurry memory for a long time.