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Raiders Countdown to Kickoff: 1: Who wore it best, who's wearing it now

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The only time you see the number one jersey in the NFL these days is on stage during the first round of the draft. But it has been donned on the football field for the Raiders before.

Oakland Raiders

ONE. After starting at 99 days, we are down to ONE DAY until the start of the Raiders regular season. Just like we have done with every other number, we denote the best to wear that number for the Raiders. In this case, it's not so much about the best to wear it but rather the ONLY player to ever wear it. So, this one is pretty easy.

Who wore it best: WR  Ronald Curry

What a freak of nature Ronald Curry was. You see players in college wear the number one a lot. And usually it means they were extremely highly recruited by the school and were granted the right to wear a number that literally tells everyone they are number one. He was a two-sport start at North Carolina, including a starting point guard for the vaunted Tarheel basketball team as well as the starting quarterback on the football team. But he eschewed any thoughts on playing in the NBA, opting for the NFL instead. With his quarterback skillset not translating to the pro game, he switched to wide receiver instead. And his versatile athletic abilities and natural talents, made him a perfect candidate to join the team that once had Bo Jackson in their backfield.

Curry was drafted by the Raiders with the 235th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2002 draft. He decided he wanted to wear the number he had in college. As a rookie he wore the number one and appeared in one game wearing it. He was used as a kick returner in that game, returning three kicks for 68 yards.

Prior to his second season, he switched to the number 89 and had a successful 7-year run with the team, including twice leading the team in receiving in 2006-07. He was the best to ever wear the number 89 for the Raiders as well.

Who's wearing it now: No one before Curry and no one since