October 4, 2026 - 6:28 pm

Lighting the Al Davis Memorial Torch ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders’ undefeated showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs meant a lot to former punter Leo Araguz, especially to do so during Hispanic Heritage Month.

Araguz signed with the Raiders in 1996, after previously working as a substitute teacher, making him one of few Latino players in the league at the time. He punted four seasons for Oakland between 1996 and 1999.

Being the latest former Raider to light the torch in honor of late owner Al Davis is something that Araguz will cherish for the rest of his life.

“They say, ‘once a Raider, always a Raider,’ and that to us means that you’re family,” Araguz said. “For Mark Davis to honor me and give me the opportunity to come back and light Al Davis’ Memorial Torch is definitely an honor. For me, being Hispanic, the Hispanic Heritage Month, it’s definitely an honor for me to just come out here and represent not just me, but my family, the family of the Raiders, and then again, in my case, my raza, my people.”

Araguz is the latest to take part in the torch-lighting tradition that began in 2011 in Oakland, where Raiders alumni, celebrities and fans have lit the torch before each home game in honor of Davis.

Araguz’s fondest memory as a Raider wasn’t necessarily a good one at the time, but he holds the record in the NFL post-1940 for the most punts in a single game with 16, in a Oct. 11, 1998, game vs. the San Diego Chargers.

“Having an NFL record that will never be broken as a punter, I got 16 punts in one game,” Araguz said. “There’s nothing to brag about because that means your offense wasn’t moving the ball. But when it comes to my I guess memories of knowing that I’m going to be on the record book forever. That’s kind of something that I really cherish and honor the fact that I did it with the Raiders and we won the game.”

As the son of Mexican immigrants, Araguz is proud to represent his heritage and those of Raider Nation, which includes a large Hispanic backing.

“I can’t describe the feeling because it’s a great honor,” he said. “Knowing that I’m going to be representing a lot of us, that we’re a bunch of die-hard Raider fans. You can’t go anywhere without us Hispanics and us Mexicans representing for the Raiders. We all wear the silver and black and when we wear it, we’re true to the Raiders.”

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.