Raider Nation is fired up about Charles Woodson and Tom Flores being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Sunday with the Class of 2021, but there’s another guy who bleeds Silver and Black who also has been honored in Canton, Ohio.
Raiders superfan Wayne Mabry, a season ticket holder for 37 years who is known as “The Violator” and paints Silver and Black stripes on his face before games, was inducted into the Ford Hall of Fans at the Pro Football Hall of Fame and received his Blue Jacket on Friday.
Mabry was honored along with fellow super fans Kristi Brown of the Arizona Cardinals and Ray Prisby of the Cleveland Browns.
“Every Hall of Famer enshrined in Canton knows he didn’t get there alone,” said David Baker, president, and CEO of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “Somewhere along the way, he needed the enthusiasm, passion, and positive energy of his team’s fans to provide that extra lift to achieve an incredibly elite level of excellence.
"The Hall of Fame is proud to welcome three more ‘super fans’ who faithfully and avidly represent their teams at the highest level of fandom – Kristi, Wayne and Ray – into the Ford Hall of Fans.”
Said Mabry on making the Ford Hall of Fame on the same weekend Flores and Woodson are being inducted: " … In Canton, that’s the trifecta, a Raiders trifecta. Just the way it happened is what I will always remember.”
That’s because the retired 64-year-old union carpenter who lives in Moreno Valley near Riverside, Calif., was nominated for the Ford Hall of Fans by Raiders Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long.
For 29 of those 37 seasons, Mabry got up out of bed on Sunday mornings and put on his Silver and Black face paint before heading out to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where the Raiders were playing in the beginning, and later back at the Oakland Coliseum.
“The Violator” took his place with other rabid fans behind the East end zone at the L.A. Coliseum in what was known then as Pirates Pavilion, which eventually became The Black Hole.
When the Raiders moved back to Oakland in 1995, Mabry went with them, but only on Sundays.
“Always out of Southern Cal, making the 6½-hour drive to Oakland and, hey, making it happen,” said Mabry, who as “The Violator” sat right on the 50-yard line in the front row, Section 117, seats 1 and 2.
“Everybody had assumed that I lived in Northern California. I’m like, ‘No, I’m what you call a road warrior.’ Every week was a road game for me. It was all part of game day. We enjoyed it for what it was. It was like therapy. The whole process from the day before to the day after was part of your therapy.”
Mabry sat right next to the tunnel where the teams took the field in Oakland, so he was seen regularly on television and often was greeted by players, coaches, and other celebrities before his consecutive game streak ended last year.
That’s because the Raiders moved to Las Vegas and fans were not allowed inside Allegiant Stadium for games because of the Coronavirus pandemic, and besides, Mabry didn’t have season tickets.
The 36-year member of the Carpenter’s Union retired from his job in 2013 but was still able to afford his seats at Oakland Coliseum. However, he couldn’t afford the more expensive tickets in Las Vegas.
Still, since he lives right off Interstate 15 that goes right to Las Vegas, Mabry hopes to still be able to see the Raiders play this season, as “The Violator.”
Most people who follow the NFL know who “The Violator” is, but they don’t know all that Mabry did, as he also served as an ambassador for the Raiders and made public appearances for the team.
In addition, Mabry has dedicated his time to helping feed veterans in need and lending a hand to kids battling cancer, autism, and cerebral palsy.
For that, as much as being “The Violator,” he deserves the Hall of Fame.
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