O . co Coliseum O . co Coliseum – also known as Oakland - Alameda County Coliseum , and commonly The Oakland Coliseum or The Coliseum ; and formerly known as Network Associates Coliseum , McAfee Coliseum , and Overstock . com Coliseum – is a multi - purpose stadium , located in Oakland , California , in the Coliseum Industrial area . It contains 6 , 300 club seats ( of which 2 , 700 are available for Athletics games ) and 143 luxury suites ( of which 125 are available for Athletics games ) , with a variable seating capacity of 35 , 067 for baseball , 63 , 026 for football , and either 47 , 416 or 63 , 026 for soccer , depending on its configuration . It is part of the Oakland - Alameda County Coliseum complex , which consists of the stadium and neighboring Oracle Arena . It is currently home to the Oakland Athletics , of MLB , and the Oakland Raiders , of the NFL . It was also home to the San Jose Earthquakes , of MLS , who used the stadium for several larger attendance games , during the 2008 - 2009 seasons . As of September 28 , 2011 , the Coliseum is the last multi - purpose stadium to serve as a full - time home to both an MLB team and an NFL team . It also hosted some games of the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup . Stadium history . 1960s . Business and political leaders in Oakland had long been in competition with its neighbor , San Francisco , as well as other cities in the West , and were also trying for Oakland and its suburbs ( the greater East Bay ) to be seen nationally as a viable metropolitan area with its own identity and reputation , distinct and separate from that of San Francisco ; professional sports was seen as a primary way for the East Bay to gain such recognition . As a result , the desire for a major - league caliber stadium in the city of Oakland intensified during the 1950s and 1960s . By 1960 , a non - profit corporation was formed to oversee the financing and development of the facility ( rather than city or county government issuing taxpayer - backed bonds for construction ) . Local real estate developer Robert T . Nahas headed this group ( which included other prominent East Bay business leaders such as former US Senator William Knowland and Edgar F . Kaiser ) , which later became the governing board of the Coliseum upon completion . It was Nahas ' idea that the Coliseum be privately financed with ownership transferring to the city and county upon retirement of the construction financing . Robert T . Nahas served twenty years as President of the Oakland - Alameda County Coliseum Board . On the death of Nahas , the " San Francisco Chronicle " ' s Rick DelVecchio quoted Jack Maltester , a former San Leandro mayor and Coliseum board member , " If not for Bob Nahas , there would be no Coliseum , it ' s really that simple . " Nahas had to be a diplomat dealing with the egos of ( Raiders owner ) Al Davis , ( Athletics owner ) Charles O . Finley and ( Golden State Warriors owner ) Franklin Mieuli . Preliminary architectural plans were unveiled in November 1960 , and the following month a site was chosen west of the Elmhurst district of East Oakland alongside the then - recently completed Nimitz Freeway . A downtown site adjacent to Lake Merritt and the Oakland Auditorium ( which itself , many years later , would be renamed the Henry J . Kaiser Convention Center ) was also originally considered . The Port of Oakland played a key role in the East Oakland site selection ; The Port swapped at the head of San Leandro Bay to the East Bay Regional Park District , in exchange for of park land across the freeway , which the Port in turn donated to the City of Oakland as the site for the Coliseum sports complex . The Oakland Raiders of the American Football League moved to Frank Youell Field , a makeshift stadium near downtown Oakland , in 1962 , and the Coliseum was already being heralded in the local media as the Raiders ' future permanent home . Baseball was also a major factor in the planning of the Coliseum . As early as , the American League publicly indicated that it wished to include Oakland in its West Coast expansion plans . In , American League president Joe Cronin suggested that Coliseum officials model some aspects of the new ballpark after then - new Dodger Stadium , which impressed him , though these expansion plans seemed to fade by the middle of the decade . After approval from the city of Oakland as well as Alameda County by 1962 , $ 25 million in financing was arranged . Plans were drawn for a stadium , an indoor arena and an exhibition hall in between them . The architect of record was the San Francisco office of Skidmore , Owings & Merrill and the general contractor was Guy F . Atkinson Company . Preliminary site preparation began in the summer of 1961 . Construction began in the spring of 1962 . The construction schedule was delayed for two years due to various legal issues and cost overruns ; the original design of the Coliseum had to be modified slightly in order to stay on budget . ( For details on the indoor arena , now known as Oracle Arena , refer to that facility ' s article . ) In , it was rumored that the Cleveland Indians might leave Cleveland for a West Coast city ( such as Oakland ) , but the Indians ended up remaining in Cleveland . Charlie Finley , owner of the Kansas City A ' s , unhappy in Kansas City , impressed by Oakland ' s new stadium and personally convinced to consider Oakland by Nahas , eventually got permission after several unsuccessful attempts and amid considerable controversy , to relocate his American League franchise to the stadium for the season ( for details on the controversy , see the separate articles for the A ' s and the Kansas City Royals , the expansion franchise created to replace the A ' s in Kansas City ) . The Raiders played their first game at the stadium on September 18 , 1966 . In 1968 , the Kansas City Athletics became the Oakland Athletics and began play at the new stadium . The Athletics ' first game was played on April 17 , 1968 . The stadium complex cost $ 25 . 5 million to build and rests on of land . On April 17 , 1968 , Boog Powell hit the first major league home run in the history of the Coliseum . On May 8 of that year , Catfish Hunter pitched the ninth perfect game in Major League history at the Coliseum . The Coliseum features an underground design where the playing surface is actually below ground level ( 21 feet / 6 meters below sea level ) . Consequently fans entering the stadium find themselves walking on to the main concourse of the stadium at the top of the first level of seats . This , combined with the hill that was built around the stadium to create the upper concourse , means that only the third deck is visible from outside the park . This gives the Coliseum the illusion of being a short stadium from the outside . In its baseball configuration , the Coliseum has far and away the most foul territory of any major league ballpark . This is especially the case along the foul lines . Thus , many balls that would reach the seats in other ballparks are caught for outs at the Coliseum . The distance to the backstop was initially , but was reduced to in 1969 . From 1968 through 1981 and again in 1995 , two football configurations were used at the stadium . During Raider preseason games and all regular season games played while baseball season was still going on , the field was set up from home plate to center field . Seats that were down the foul lines for baseball games became the sideline seats for football games , which started up to 120 feet away from the field ( most football - only stadiums have sideline seats that start around 60 feet away ) . Once the A ' s season ended , the orientation was switched : the football field ran from the left field line to the right field line , seats were moved from behind first and third base to create corners for the end zone to fit into ( these seats were then placed to fill in the space that was normally behind home plate and near the foul poles for baseball games ) . Temporary football bleachers were then added in front of the baseball bleachers to form the sideline on the east ( visitors ' ) side , and the baseball bleachers were not sold . Raider season ticket holders would thus have two season ticket locations in different parts of the stadium that roughly corresponded to the same location in relation to the field . 1970s . From 1970 - 72 the stadium hosted three college football benefit games featuring Bay Area schools versus historically black colleges . Hosted the 1971 East – West Shrine Game on January 2nd , 1971 . In 1972 , the Athletics won their first of three straight World Series championships and their first since their years in Philadelphia . Commencing in 1973 , the stadium hosted an annual Days on the Green concert series , presented by Bill Graham and his company Bill Graham Presents , which continued on into the early 90s . Marvin Gaye made his official return to live performing and touring at the Coliseum on January 4 , 1974 and the Coliseum was the basis for his one - million selling live album , " Marvin Gaye Live ! " At the time , music industry executives cited the tour as a " heralded event " as Gaye made a comeback to live touring nearly four years after the death of his late singing partner Tammi Terrell . Led Zeppelin played what turned out to be their final North American concerts with twin shows during their 1977 North American Tour . After their first show on July 23 , members of Led Zeppelin ' s entourage were arrested after a member of promoter Bill Graham ' s staff was physically assaulted during the performance . The awkwardness of the baseball - football conversion , as well as the low seating capacity ( around 54 , 000 for football ) and that the prime seating on the east side consisted of temporary bleachers led the Raiders to explore other stadium options . One such option was Memorial Stadium on the UC Berkeley campus . Several preseason games were played there in the early 1970 ' s along with one regular season game in 1973 ( a 12 - 7 victory over the Miami Dolphins during September while the A ' s regular season was going on ) . However , in response to traffic and parking issues associated with these games ( while Cal games drew a large number of students who live on or near campus and walk to the games , Raider games attracted fans from a larger geographic area who were used to tailgating at the Coliseum and were more likely to drive to games ) , the City of Berkeley passed a Professional Sports Events License Tax in which the city collected 10 % of all gate receipts , making the staging of professional games inside the city cost - prohibitive . The Raiders were granted an injunction from the city collecting the tax , arguing that the tax was a regulatory measure rather than a revenue measure , and was therefore an improper regulation on land held in trust by the Regents of the University of California . However , the grant of the injunction was reversed by the California Court of Appeals , who found it to be a revenue measure , despite the fact that the city had made the measure immediately effective " due to danger to the public peace , health , and safety of the City of Berkeley as a result of the holding of professional sports events there . " The stadium was not well maintained for most of the late 1970s . Its condition was most noticeable during baseball season , when crowds for A ' s games twice numbered fewer than 1 , 000 . On 17 April 1979 , only 653 fans attended the game versus the Seattle Mariners . During this time , it was popularly known as the " Oakland Mausoleum . " 1980s . In 1980 , the Raiders won Super Bowl XV . Two years later , the Raiders moved to Los Angeles , leaving the A ' s as the only remaining tenants of Oakland Coliseum . Only days later , Finley sold the A ' s to Marvin Davis , who planned to move the A ' s to Denver . However , city and county officials were not about to lose Oakland ' s status as a major - league city in its own right , and refused to let the A ' s out of their lease . Finley was forced to sell the team to the owners of San Francisco - based Levi Strauss & Co . The 1987 Major League Baseball All - Star Game was held at the stadium . From 1988 - 1990 , the venue saw three more World Series . In 1989 , the Athletics won their fourth Series since moving to Oakland , sweeping the San Francisco Giants in the earthquake - interrupted " Battle of the Bay " Series . The stadium played host to Amnesty International ' s Human Rights Now ! Benefit Concert on September 23 , 1988 . The show was headlined by Sting and Peter Gabriel and also featured Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band , Tracy Chapman , Youssou N ' Dour , Roy Orbison and Joan Baez . 1990s . In the ' 90s , several major concerts were held , but these were not " Days on the Green " , by definition , because they occurred at night . Richard Marx shot the Video for Take This Heart on the Baseball field of the Coliseum . Metallica and Guns N ' Roses brought the Guns N ' Roses / Metallica Stadium Tour to the coliseum on September 24 , 1992 , with Body Count as their opening act . The stadium was the location for the 1994 Disney movie " Angels in the Outfield " . Although Angel Stadium of Anaheim ( known as Anaheim Stadium at the time ) was where the Angels actually played , it was damaged in the 1994 Southern California earthquake . Anaheim Stadium was used for views from the outside and aerial views , while the Coliseum was used for interior shots . In July 1995 , the Raiders agreed to return to Oakland provided that Oakland Coliseum underwent renovations . In November 1995 , those renovations commenced and continued through the next summer until the beginning of the 1996 football season ( more info below ) . The new layout also had the somewhat peculiar effect of creating an inward jog in the outfield fence , in left - center and right - center . There are now three distance markers instead of one , at various points of the power alleys , as indicated in the dimensions grid . The Raiders return also heralded the creation of the " Black Hole , " a highly recognizable group of fans who occupy one end zone seating during football games . Along with the since - demolished Atlanta - Fulton County Stadium , the stadium features the unusual configuration of laying the football field on a line from first to third base rather than laying it from home plate to center field , or parallel to one of the foul lines , as with most multi - purpose facilities . Thus , a seat behind home plate for baseball is behind the 50 - yard line for football . With the Marlins opening their own ballpark in 2012 , the stadium is set to become the last venue in the United States that hosts both Major League Baseball and an NFL team . 2000s . On April 2 , 2006 , the broadcast booth was renamed in honor of the late Bill King , a legendary Bay Area sportscaster who was the play - by - play voice of the A ' s , Raiders and Warriors for 44 years . On September 8 , 2006 , the stadium played host to The Gigantour , featuring performances by Megadeth , Lamb of God , Opeth , Arch Enemy , Overkill , Into Eternity , Sanctity and The SmashUp . In November 2007 , the San Jose Earthquakes , of MLS , announced they would be playing their " big draw " games , such as those featuring David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy , at the stadium . Regular draw games are being played at Buck Shaw Stadium , in Santa Clara . Midway through the decade , the stadium established a " no re - entry " policy . Each ticket can only be used once , after which a second ticket must be purchased in order to re - enter the Coliseum . 2010s . On May 9 , 2010 , almost 42 years to the day of Catfish Hunter ' s perfect game , Dallas Braden pitched the 19th perfect game in Major League history at the Coliseum . A commemorative graphic was placed on the baseball outfield wall next to Rickey Henderson ' s retired number on May 17 , their next home game . U2 performed during their 360° Tour on June 7 , 2011 , with Lenny Kravitz and Moonalice as their opening acts . The show was originally scheduled to take place on June 16 , 2010 , but was postponed , due to Bono ' s emergency back surgery . As an emergency replacement , The Crunchees filled in at the last minute . Naming rights . In September 1997 , UMAX Technologies agreed to acquire the naming rights to the stadium . However , following a dispute , a court decision reinstated the Oakland - Alameda County Coliseum name . In 1998 , Network Associates agreed to pay $ 5 . 8 million over five years for the naming rights and the stadium became known as Network Associates Coliseum , or , alternately in marketing and media usage as , " the Net . " In 2003 , Network Associates renewed the contract for an additional five years at a cost of $ 6 million . In mid - 2004 , Network Associates was renamed McAfee , restoring its name from before its 1997 merger with Network General , and the stadium was renamed McAfee Coliseum accordingly . In 2008 , McAfee was offered a renewal of the naming contract , but it was declined . On September 19 , 2008 , the name reverted back to the pre - 1997 name of Oakland - Alameda County Coliseum . The stadium retained its original name until April 27 , 2011 , when it was renamed Overstock . com Coliseum via a 6 year , 1 . 2 million dollar naming rights deal with online retailer Overstock . com . On June 6 , 2011 , the Coliseum was renamed O . co Coliseum , after Overstock . com ' s marketing name . However due to a contract dispute with the Athletics regarding the Overstock / O . co naming rights deal , the A ' s continue to refer to the stadium as the Oakland - Alameda County Coliseum in all official team communications and on team websites . Despite the different name changes , locals generally refer to the stadium as " The Coliseum . " This fits the trend of older stadium renamings being rejected by the general public . This is especially true in the San Francisco Bay Area where changes to the name of nearby Candlestick Park have been wholly rejected by voters , and changes to the names of both Pacific Bell Park and the San Jose Arena were received with much negative criticism and widely ignored by fans and media alike . Possible replacements . On August 12 , 2005 , the A ' s new owner Lewis Wolff made the A ' s first official proposal for a new ballpark in Oakland to the Oakland - Alameda County Coliseum Authority . The new stadium would have been located across 66th Avenue from the Coliseum in what is currently an industrial area north of the Coliseum . The park would have held 35 , 000 fans , making it the smallest park in the major leagues . Plans for the Oakland location fell through in early 2006 when several of the owners of the land proposed for the new ballpark made known their wish to not sell . Throughout 2006 , the Athletics continued to search for a ballpark site within their designated territory of Alameda County . Late in 2006 , rumors began to circulate regarding a parcel of land in Fremont , California being the new site . These rumors were confirmed by the Fremont city council on November 8 of that year . Wolff met with the council that day to present his plan to move the A ' s to Fremont into a soon to be built ballpark named Cisco Field . Wolff and Cisco Systems conducted a Press Conference at the San Jose - based headquarters of Cisco Systems on November 14 , 2006 to confirm the deal , and showcase some details of the future plan . However , on February 24 , 2009 , after delays and increased public opposition , the Athletics officially ended their search for a stadium site in Fremont . Speculation was raised as to whether or not the Athletics franchise would remain in Northern California in the long term as a result of the termination of the Cisco Field plan . In 2010 , two building sites have become leading candidates for a new Athletics ' home : a site in downtown San Jose located near HP Pavilion ( home of the NHL San Jose Sharks ) and a proposed stadium in Oakland named Victory Court . Under any such replacement proposals , the Oakland Raiders would presumably continue to play football in the Coliseum , although there have been recent proposals for a new football - only stadium in the Bay Area which the Raiders could share with the San Francisco 49ers and rumors regarding the Raiders ' possible return to Los Angeles . Mount Davis . One feature of the 1996 expansion was the addition of over 10 , 000 seats in the upper deck that now spans the outfield in the baseball configuration . The effect of these new stands , comprising sections 335 – 355 , was to completely enclose the stadium , eliminating the view of the Oakland hills that had been the stadium ' s backdrop for 30 years . The stands are very narrow and steeply pitched , bringing the back row of its uppermost tier to a height rarely seen in modern stadiums . Due to the stands ' height and the loss of the Oakland hills view , A ' s fans have derisively nicknamed the structure " Mount Davis " or " the AL - ps , " in mockery of late Raiders owner Al Davis . It has been criticized as an area which has made the O . co Coliseum look ever more like a football stadium , and not at all one for baseball . From 1997 through 2004 , the A ' s left the section open , but it was rarely filled except for fireworks nights and the postseason . The A ' s did not count the area in the listed capacity for baseball ; hence , even though the " official " baseball capacity was 43 , 662 ( 48 , 219 with standing room ) , the " actual " capacity was around 60 , 000 . The tarp . In 2006 , the Athletics covered the entire third deck with a tarp , reducing capacity to 34 , 077 — the smallest capacity in the majors . For the 2008 season , Sections 316 – 318 of the 3rd deck behind home plate were re - opened as the A ' s introduced their own " All - You - Can - Eat " seating area , similar to the right field bleachers at Dodger Stadium . This has increased the Coliseum ' s capacity for baseball to 35 , 067 - still very small . For the 2009 season , seats were $ 35 and only sold on a single game basis ; All - You - Can - Eat seating was offered for every game in 2008 , but for 2009 the section was only open for weekend games ( Friday - Sunday ) & all games against the New York Yankees , Boston Red Sox , and San Francisco Giants . For 2010 , the A ' s discontinued All - You - Can - Eat , instead rebranding the area as the " Value Deck " . Prices for these seats have decreased to $ 12 and are sold for every game ( $ 15 price for premium games ) . To help compensate for the loss of AYCE , the A ' s have introduced Jumbo - Tickets that have stored stadium credit for food & merchandise ( $ 10 on Plaza Club tickets & $ 6 for Value Deck tickets ) . Even if the game is otherwise sold out , the A ' s will not sell any seats in the area that remains covered . An exception may be made if the A ' s return to the postseason . However , the A ' s did not remove the tarp during the 2006 postseason . Though it was never officially confirmed , it was widely speculated that the MLB Commissioner ' s office had plans to order the removal of the tarp in the event that the A ' s advanced to the 2006 World Series . Oakland was swept by the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS , making any such tarp - removal plans moot . The closure of the upper deck can also be viewed as establishing two seating configurations : the lower and middle decks for baseball , and all sections plus additional seating for football and concerts .