PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : RAIDERS : Rathman Will Start at Fullback

It’s official: The move that has been anticipated since the summer day he came trotting into training camp at Oxnard was made Wednesday when Tom Rathman was named the starting fullback over Napoleon McCallum.

Could this be anything to do with the fact that the Raiders open the 1994 season Monday night at Candlestick Park against the San Francisco 49ers, the team for which Rathman played the last eight seasons, including two Super Bowls?

That didn’t hurt, but it seemed inevitable that Rathman would start. The reason he headed south was the opportunity to remain a starter, an opportunity that no longer existed in San Francisco with the development of Marc Logan and the drafting of William Floyd. Rathman is the complete package at fullback, an effective runner, receiver and pass blocker. He also brings his invaluable experience and a calm demeanor developed through years of playing in big games.

When asked about his promotion, Rathman, 31, shrugged.

“I’m just another squirrel looking for a nut,” he said. “It’s exciting, but it wouldn’t have mattered if they started Nap. He has made a lot of improvement in training camp.”

Rathman got the news at the Raiders’ Wednesday morning walk-through. Coach Art Shell approached Rathman and told him that his brief spell as a backup was over.

“Either way they handled it, I would have been comfortable,” Rathman said.

Was he given a reason for the switch?

“I don’t need a reason,” he said. “I just need to play.”

McCallum, who began last season on special teams and evolved into an effective short-yardage back, will continue to fill that role. He’ll be the one the Raiders use when they near the goal line or need a few yards.

He got them for the Raiders last season. After scoring two rushing touchdowns in three previous seasons, he scored three last season, despite a mid-season appendectomy, and then added five in two postseason games.

“There are places for him,” Shell said of McCallum, “and there are also places for Tom Rathman. That’s not to say we won’t use Napoleon McCallum at fullback. We will.”

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The Raiders made one other lineup change official, moving Scott Davis to left defensive end and dropping Aundray Bruce to backup. Davis, who started every game for the Raiders in 1990 and ‘91, spent the next two seasons in retirement. He slowly played himself back into form on the second unit in the exhibition season.