In honor of Father's Day, I have concocted a list of notable Raider dads " the men behind the men who have worn silver and black. Here they are in alphabetical order. Let me know whom I'm overlooking.

And happy Father's Day.

Bruce Cooper " To be frank, I have never subscribed to the whole victim-as-hero theme that Americans seem to embrace. But the way Cooper, a sportscaster for KPNX-TV in Phoenix, comported himself when his son, Marquis (a Raiders special teamer), died at sea in March was a picture of dignity. Bruce Cooper was patient and generous with the media as the search for his son dragged on for days, but he didn't try to mask his emotions. It was just the way I'd hope to behave if confronted with a situation I hope never to experience.

Tony Dorsett " Several Raiders had fathers who also played in the NFL, but none of the first-generation stars could match Touchdown Tony, one of the fastest running backs in NFL history. His son, safety and namesake Anthony Dorsett, never matched his dad's stature.

Antonio Fargas " For sheer novelty and pop-culture nostalgia, who could possibly top running back Justin Fargas' father? Fargas is best known for playing Huggy Bear on the TV series "Starsky and Hutch." But it was in the role of a transvestite in "Car Wash" that the elder Fargas uttered what stands as one of the great lines in movie history: "I am more man than you will ever be, and more woman than you will ever get." Talkin' bout the car wash.

Thomas Howard Sr. " Linebacker Thomas Jr. is so good, he has made Al Davis forget that his dad played for the hated Chiefs in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Gerald Irons " DE/LB Grant Irons was one of the friendliest players I met since joining the Raiders beat in 2003, but his old man was the better player. I remember Art Shell saying that Gerald, a linebacker, was as ripped as his son " I don't believe Grant owned a shirt with sleeves, the better to show off his guns " and that his former college and pro teammate did it without lifting any weights.

Marv Marinovich " No, I didn't say the best dads. I said the most notable. Marv, an offensive lineman, and son Todd, a quarterback, were the first father-son combo to play for the Raiders, as far as I can tell. Marv's attempt to mold Todd into an uber-athlete " a program that failed spectacularly " is well documented. It has made Marv a poster boy for heavy-handed parenting, though a recent mega-feature in Esquire magazine painted their relationship as surprisingly affectionate.

And because family crosses bloodlines, I will include a pair of worthy fathers-in-law.

Bill Brown " Look up the word "crewcut" in Merriam Webster, and there's a picture of Brown, who played fullback for the Vikings for 13 seasons. He was rugged and reliable, traits that would have been appreciated by his future son-in-law: Rich Gannon.

Henry Cisneros " Cisneros is one of the most important Latino politicians of the American 20th century. He became the first Mexican-American mayor of a major U.S. city when he took office in San Antonio in 1981 (he served four terms), and he later became Bill Clinton's Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. And one of his daughters married Brad Badger, the former Raiders offensive lineman.