Joe Bugel remembers walking off the field with his defeated Washington Redskins following the 1984 Super Bowl and wondering what it felt like to be part of the winning Raiders team.
Now he's responsible for trying to get the Oakland Raiders back to the NFL championship game for the first time since then.Bugel, who spent the past two seasons as the Raiders' assistant head coach for offense, was elevated to the head coaching job Thursday.
"I suffered for 13 years waiting for this head coaching job," he said, thinking back to the Super Bowl in which the Los Angeles Raiders defeated Washington 38-9. "I wanted to be part of the silver and black."
Bugel was an assistant coach with Washington in 1981-89, during which time the Redskins won two Super Bowls. In 1990-93, he was 20-44 at Phoenix in his only previous head coaching job.
"This, to me, is the ultimate thing in my professional life," said Bugel, who was considered for the Raiders' top job in 1995, but lost out to Mike White. "It means a great deal to me to be a Raider."
Minutes after finally getting the position, Bugel carried out perhaps the most essential task that accompanies the job - lavishing praise on team owner Al Davis.
"I love Al Davis. This love affair has been going on for 30 years," said Bugel, who referred to Davis as "the coach."
Even Davis, who coached the Raiders in 1963-65, seemed taken aback by the show of emotion from Bugel.
"I didn't say there's a love affair," Davis responded. "I hired Joe because he proved over the past two years total loyalty. It's no love affair, I'm just telling you what the facts are."
The other candidates who interviewed for the job were Raiders special teams coach Rusty Tillman and Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Jon Gruden. Bugel said he hopes Tillman stays with the Raiders.