The stadium was a temporary home whileOakland–Alameda County Coliseumwas being built; it seated 22,000 and cost$400,000 to build. The facility was named for Francis J. Youell (1883–1967), an Oaklandundertaker,owner of the Chapel of the Oaks, Oakland City Councilman, and sports booster.
Frank Youell, the namesake of the Oakland Raiders temporary home from 1962 to 1965.
It was located at 900 Fallon Street, on the grounds of what is now part ofLaney College,next to the channel which connectsLake Merrittto theOakland Estuaryand adjacent to theNimitz Freeway.The site was formerly part of the "Auditorium Village Housing Project", one of several temporary housing tracts built by thefederal governmentin theSan Francisco Bay Areafor the thousands of workers who poured into the region duringWorld War IIto work in war industries, especially, in shipyards such as theKaiser Shipyards.
During their first two seasons, the Raiders played their home games inSan Francisco,atKezar Stadium(1960) andCandlestick Park(1960,1961). They played their first regular season game at Frank Youell Field in1962on September 9 against theNew York Titansand the Raiders lost, 28–17, the first of thirteen consecutive losses that season. The final game at the stadium in December1965was also against New York, renamed theJets,and theRaiderswon, 24–14.[1]
Frank Youell Field remained in operation for several years and hosted somehigh school footballgames after the Raiders moved into the Coliseum in 1966; it was demolished in 1969 to make way for extra parking for Laney College.
†= Team's stadium under construction or refurbishment at time 1 = A team used the stadium when their permanent stadium was unable to be used as a result of damage.
