Raider Radness: Historical Raiders

1 Seed: Blackbeard

Blackbeard (Edward Teach) was one of the most well-known pirates of the early 1700s, operating in the Caribbean and along the American colonies. He commanded ships that regularly attacked and captured merchant vessels, stealing valuable cargo, weapons, and supplies. Blackbeard is considered a raider because his success depended on organized, strategic raids at sea, where he used intimidation and violence to overwhelm his targets and take control of their goods.
(Wikimedia)

2 Seed: Carl Icahn

Carl Icahn was born on February 16, 1936 in New York City. He has a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Princeton University and attended NYU School of Medicine. He gained the nickname “corporate raider” by buying large stakes in undervalued companies and pressuring management to make changes or sell the company. For many years he was ranked among the wealthiest investors in the world. He often launches public proxy fights against boards and CEOs and was famous for blunt letters to management and media appearances. He is considered one of the pioneers of shareholder activism. He also helped shape modern corporate governance by showing how outside investors could influence large public companies.
3 Seed: Easy-E

Easy-E (Eric Lynn Wright) was one of the founding members of the West Coast rap scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s, along with group members Ice Cube and Dr. Dre. He was the rapper who paved the way for making Oakland (later Los Angelos, now Las Vegas) Raider merchandise among the most popular of any sports team from this time period. Easy-E was known for his iconic style of repping both Raider hats and jerseys. He boosted the team's merchandise popularity in the 90s, solidifying his connection to the "Raider Nation" and creating a strong cultural bridge between the football team and the genre. Teenagers far from the California coast begged their parents for Raiders gear, and even named pets after the team, which frequently had more to do with Easy-E's stylistic choices than with anything that was happening on the football field.
4 Seed: Mary Reed & Anne Bonny

Anne Bonny and Mary Read were known as two of the most ruthless female pirates during the golden age of piracy. Anne was born an illegitimate child to her father, an attorney named William Cormac. So to avoid scandal Cormac dressed Anne up as a boy and claimed she was the child of a distant relative he was watching over. As Anne grew older, around her teenage years, her temper shortened and she became more violent. News about Anne’s behavior started to spread around town and her father, worried about what this would do to his status and career, disowned her. Anne then married James Bonny, a poor sailor, as they set off for the Bahamas together, but Anne decided to leave James in return for another sailor named John Rackman. While on Rackman’s ship Anne came across Mary, who was disguised as a man, and Anne fell for Mary’s disguise as she attempted to flirt with Mary. Though Mary then revealed she was actually a woman. Anne promised to keep Mary’s disguise a secret and the two quickly became close friends.
5 Seed: Quantrill's Raiders

The first known use of the word "raider" dates to 1861 and is directly connected to the American Civil War, which featured a large number of guerrilla-style fighting units, mostly for the Confederacy, who would lead "raids" against Union army posts, Northern towns and cities, and even mail delivery wagons, both to steal supplies and to instill terror in the more traditional / organized Northern Army. The most famous of these Confederate raiders was led by Captain William Clark Quantrill, whose actions in Kanas and Missouri during the earlier years of the war eventually became so brutal and uncontrollable that they were disavowed by the Confederate Army. His band of "bushwhackers" featured some other notable figures, mostly famously the outlaw Jesse James, and their primary place of action—just south of Nebraska—makes them the closest group of historical "raiders" to Brownell Talbot.
A 1990’s poster of Ice Cube in full Raiders gear. (Wikimedia)

6 Seed: Ice Cube

If you're wondering how the infamous rapper, Ice Cube, made it to the sixth seed, then you haven't heard about the "President of the Raider Nation." While he didn't plunder cities or steal million-dollar artifacts, he earned this title by commanding an entire fanbase. Ice Cube brought his early love of the football team, The Los Angeles Raiders, into his rap career, where he was seen in multiple videos and public performances with his now signature Raider hat. Even after their move to Las Vegas, Ice Cube remained a loyal fan, earning his spot as president of Raider Nation as well as a place on the ultimate Raider bracket.
Courtesy of Fortune.com

7 Seed: T-Boone Pickens

T-Boon Pickens (1928 - 2019) was one of the most famous corporate raiders of the 1980's, storming into courtrooms as if they were battlefields. As a central oil tycoon of the time, he took aggressive stakes in various companies, influencing their decisions to best suit his interests. Even when negotiations and takeovers failed, Pickens still managed to come away with profits that shook the corporate world. Later in life, he turned this influence into philanthropy, famously donating a record-setting $165 million to Oklahoma State University's athletic program. At the time of his death in 2019, he had donated over $1 billion to myriad philanthropic causes.
8 Seed: Edward Low

Edward Low was a notoriously violent pirate who terrorized ships in the Atlantic ocean during the early 18th century. This era was known as the Golden Age of Piracy. He was from Westminster, England, and became a pirate after his difficult childhood. Low quickly gained a reputation for his cruelty towards both captives and his own crew, sometimes resorting to torture. Although some pirates were considered heroes, Low was famous for his excessive brutality and mutilation. Operating mainly off the coasts of New England, the Caribbean, and West Africa, he captured dozens of ships and commanded multiple pirate vessels at the height of his power. His fate remains uncertain; some accounts say he was captured and executed and others say he escaped and was never seen again. This mysterious end is fitting for one of piracy’s darkest legends.

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