The Raiders are a professional sports organization like no other. One of the reasons for that is a familiar saying.

Once a Raider, always a Raider.

It started with the late, great owner of the club, Al Davis, and his admiration for his players. The tradition continues with Raiders Alumni Weekend during training camp, which includes a highly-attended dinner in Napa, one of the world’s premier dining destinations.

So when former Raiders defensive lineman Lamarr Houston, who was drafted by Davis, decided to retire, he came back to Oakland, where his career began with the newly re-named Las Vegas Raiders.

“Today is a great day. I’m retiring a Raider,” Houston said, according to the Raiders’ official Twitter account. “It was a blessed career—I had a great career. But my best days were here in Oakland with the Raiders.

“I really take pride in being one of the last hand-picked players by Al Davis. For that reason, I wanted to retire a Raider. Once a Raider always a Raider.”

Davis drafted Houston in 2010 in the second round out of the University of Texas. He didn’t miss a game in four seasons in Oakland and tallied 16.5 sacks and 37 tackles for loss, with 228 tackles (171 solo).

Houston’s first two years in Oakland were entertaining for fans, with the team winning as much as they lost, a rarity in the decade preceding Houston’s arrival. The Raiders almost rallied and made the playoffs after Davis’ death in 2011, but they fell short down the stretch and finished 8-8, just like the year before.

It was the last Raiders team built by Davis, and the team’s deconstruction under new general manager Reggie McKenzie began in 2012, which ushered in more losing. After the 2014 season, Houston signed a free-agent deal with the Bears worth $15 million in guarantees.

Incredibly, he tore his ACL his first season in Chicago while celebrating a QB sack late in a blowout loss to the Patriots. Houston played just 31 games for the Bears in three-plus seasons. He finished his career in 2017, playing five games with the Texans.

But Houston is a Raider once again, and he always will be. Add one more of Davis’ draft picks to the alumni dinner reservation list — and perhaps clear a spot in Mark Davis’ owner’s box at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.