Actor Tom Hanks tops list of Raiders celebrity fans

Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series acquainting fans with the Raiders’ illustrious 60-year history as the team moves to Las Vegas for the 2020 season.

When he accepted a People’s Choice Award in 2017, the actor Tom Hanks twice during a 33-second acceptance speech did his Ken “The Snake” Stabler impression. “Throw deep baby,” Hanks said in a drawl befitting the Raiders’ former iconic quarterback.

While the two-time Academy Award winner and Oakland native was not exactly pleased when the Raiders announced they’d be moving to Las Vegas — “You cannot take the Silver and Black, put them in an air-conditioned dome in the desert, make them play within a stone’s throw of the fountains of Caesars Palace and call them the Raiders,” Hanks opined in 2017 — there’s no questioning his loyalty to the team and his unofficial position as its No. 1 celebrity supporter.

Here’s a list of five other A-listers who have professed a Commitment to Excellence, even in seasons when the Raiders fail to achieve it:

1. It’s true that Tiger Woods may prefer red and black to Silver and Black on the golf course on Sunday. But the felt on his pool table is silver rather than green, and it has the Raiders’ helmet shield emblazoned between the side pockets.

2. The rap about rapper Ice Cube is that his passion for the Raiders knows no bounds. Raider Nation has recognized him as its president ever since he wrote an anthem of the same name.

3. Hammer Time becomes Raiders Time on Sunday (and the occasional Monday and Thursday nights) when 1980s rapper, producer and entrepreneur — and former Oakland A’s bat boy — MC Hammer and his affinity for his favorite NFL side are Too Legit to Quit.

4. There are photos of Jessica Alba on the Internet showing her wearing Raiders caps and Raiders T-shirts and a Raiders bikini, the last of which may or may not be officially licensed. But no one has ever questioned the “Sin City” movie leading lady’s authenticity as a staunch supporter of the Silver and Black.

5. Just eat baby. Diners, Drive-Ins, Dives and Defense. If there’s one thing celebrity chef and UNLV grad Guy Fieri loves to cook up more than Sashimi Won-Tacos or Guy-talian Fondue Dippers at his Vegas Kitchen & Bar in the Linq Hotel (at least until it temporarily closed when an employee tested positive for COVID-19), it’s a victory for the Las Vegas Raiders, his pro football side of choice.

Contact Ron Kantowski at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski on Twitter.