California Raiders making Inland Empire very proud

The Raiders are coming, the Raiders are coming! Actually, they’re already been here for five years. The California Raiders, based in San Bernardino, are yet another one of the Inland Empire’s hidden jewels with the potential to really shine a great light on their community not just by winning on the field, but off as well. Founded about 5 years ago, in San Bernardino the California Raiders were once the Banning Eagles. Coach and team owner Dwaine Radden was coaching high school ball but looking to do something different when a former player asked him to coach a team he was playing on and thus, the California Raiders came to be. The team used to be a part of the La Belle [as in Patti] Community Football League but are now a part of the United Football Alliance League. They have won four division titles and have gone to championships twice. Their record this year is 12-2 and they made it to the playoffs all five years. The California Raiders are ranked 9thnationally and top five in Southern California. Players range in age from 19 to about 35 and hail from throughout Southern California, including San Bernardino, Palm Springs, Riverside and Los Angeles. Some play D1 college ball and there is even a former NFL player on the team! Some have NFL hopes but all are just regular working men with families and a passion for football. The team in essence is very much a full on professional football team, minus the resources and mega paychecks. They hold NFL style tryouts and players cut up film, every Monday to see what they did right and what they need to work on, they practice on Tuesday and Thursday and play on Saturday. Practices and games are held at San Bernardino High School. And apart from this all players are required to do community service which often includes holding low to no cost football camps for local youth. For the players, the opportunity to play is truly something special. For quarterback Michael Hamilton, 27, originally of Compton, it’s an opportunity to be a role model for his young son. Apart from being a dad and playing football, Hamilton works full time too but wouldn’t trade it for anything. “The group of guys I play with have become friends,” he says. “And just to wear the sliver and black and being a Raider.” For Toradeo Carter, 28 of Riverside and formerly of Rialto, football is his stress reliever from working full time as a plumber and being a dad too. “I just love football,” he says. To what does he attribute the team’s success? “Offense wins games, defense wins championships,” he said. “They bought into our code,” Radden says to what he attributes his team’s success. “Discipline, determination and dedication equals winner but not just in football, it’s about life. They aren’t afraid to work hard and dedicate themselves to the game.” So for local youth looking to be inspired and motivated not just in football but in life, look no further than your own backyard, because that’s where the California Raiders can be found! For more information on the team visit their website at californiaraiders.com