Oakland Raiders, Travis team to host NFL draft

Published May 7, 2015
By Senior Airman Charles Rivezzo
60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- In recent years, the NFL Draft has emerged as a "Christmas in July" type of event. It's perhaps the most heavily anticipated and highly scrutinized sporting event that doesn't actually involve any display of athletics. It's a microcosm of the American dream.

Nationally televised on NFL Network May 2, the Travis flightline was transformed into the Oakland Raiders' makeshift draft day headquarters for Day 3 of the 2015 NFL Draft.

At this point, the top 100 players across the country had already come off the board. While rounds four through seven may not carry the glamour and prestige of the first three, draft analysts will tell you this is where championships are won and lost.

For the players, the ones selected to adorn the iconic silver and black emblem, their names weren't broadcast by the league commissioner. The words that would ultimately change their lives forever came from faces they probably have never seen before.

They were the faces of their new community. They were the faces of Airmen stationed at Travis.

Straight from the Raiders' "war room" at the team's facility in Alameda, California, the selections trickled in.

"The Oakland Raiders are officially on the clock," the team's staff would yell out.

One by one, a Travis Airman took to the podium. They'd look down at their official draft day cards - glancing over their lines - before a worldwide audience was fixated on what they were about to say next.

Alongside Raiders legend Napoleon McCallum, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, the names of the newest additions to the "Raiders family" were called out.

For Senior Airman John Dunkel, 860th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief, announcing the 29th pick in the fourth round (128th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft for the Oakland Raiders was a "dream come true." Dunkel was born and raised in the local area and his family has been season ticket holders since he was 8 years old.

"I have been a Raiders fan my entire life," Dunkel said. "This is definitely one of the most special moments of my life. But more importantly, I feel like it's a special moment for my dad. He has been calling and texting me nonstop."

Dunkel pulled out his cellphone to look over a backlog of messages that were coming in.

"I haven't seen the broadcast yet, but people have tagged me in a bunch of posts," he said. "It's crazy."

Dunkel said with a laugh he felt like he was helping the organization out a little bit.

"I'm the face of the fourth-round pick," he said. "He can go on to become a Hall of Famer and I'll be the face that called him. I'll take that."

The relationship between the Oakland Raiders and its local military community is nothing new to the organization.

Team spokesperson Mike Taylor stated that due to the draft's new format, teams were allowed to select a unique location to make their public selections. The Oakland Raiders wanted to profile Travis.

"Community is of the utmost importance to the Raiders and the military is a big piece of that community," Taylor said. "We wanted to make sure we profiled an entity that was near and dear to our hearts. Today is everything we had envisioned."

Through a series of trades that took place throughout the day, the Raiders ended up selecting seven players within the final three rounds.

While the future of these players is uncertain, one thing will forever remain collectively constant - the words that changed their lives forever came from Airmen at Travis.