For the full experience, please play Steve Sabol’s poem, “The Autumn Wind” in the background as you read this article (or maybe, the Ice Cube “Raider Nation” rap anthem).
Since the NFL and AFC announced their merger in 1966, few teams have been as uniquely polarizing as the Oakland Raiders. Loved by many, and hated by many more, to follow the highs and lows of the Raiders over the last 50 years would be quite an experience. From 1966 to 1980, the Raiders were among the NFL (and briefly the AFL)’s elite. Over this span, the Raiders would have 15 straight winning records, 11 playoff berths, nine division championships, three Super Bowl appearances, and two Lombardi Trophies. Quarterbacks Daryle Lamonica and Ken Stabler would both win the MVP award, and Stabler would take home the MVP and the Offensive Player of The Year award in 1974. In 1980, during Oakland’s second Super Bowl season, quarterback Jim Plunkett would win the Comeback Player of The Year award, as well as the Super Bowl MVP while defensive back Lester Hayes would also win Defensive Player of The Year.
After a 7-9 season, owner Al Davis would relocate the team to Los Angeles, and the team immediately returned to their winning ways. Despite playing in a strike-shortened season, the Raiders still managed to win all but one of their games before losing in the divisional round to the New York Jets. The next year, the Raiders, along with star running back, Marcus Allen, would rout the Philadelphia Eagles 38-9 in Super Bowl XVIII, earning their third Super Bowl championship. Sadly, this would be the last time the Raiders tasted gold.
The Raiders would go on to occasionally taste brief success over the next 20 years, even adding a new league MVP trophy through Rich Gannon in 2002. But for the most part, they were mediocre. Something happened in their devastating 48-21 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII, as the Raiders wouldn’t smell the playoffs for at least the next 14 years. In fact, they wouldn’t even break .500. For Raider Nation, they are very lucky to have had such a glorious past, because the present wasn’t always pretty. While the future is looking up in Oakland (or Las Vegas) nowadays, it’s worth taking a minute to recognize the glory of the past. This is a lineup of the very best of the very best in Oakland (or Los Angeles) Raider history.
Author’s Note
This list only includes players who are best known for their time with the Oakland Raiders. Meaning that players like Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Ronnie Lott, Eric Dickerson, and Rod Woodson will not be appearing.
The Oakland/L.A. Raiders All-Time Team: Offense
Ken Stabler, quarterback
At first, I really wanted to put Rich Gannon. Gannon was one of the best quarterbacks in Raider history statistically, and he did win the MVP trophy in the passing era. But at the end of the day, this is a list about the greatest Raiders of all time, and any list about Raiders or great quarterbacks is incomplete without “The Snake”.
If the Raiders of the 1970s were an insane asylum, Stabler was Randle McMurphy. He was cool, cocky, and one hell of a quarterback. His statistics don’t hold up against guys like Peyton Manning or Tom Brady in the modern era, but Stabler was pretty good for his time. Beyond his statistical achievements and a trunk full of individual awards, Stabler was the king of games with names. The Sea of Hands, The Holy Roller, The Immaculate Reception, where ever Stabler went, big moments happened. Kenny Stabler perfectly personifies the Raiders, and he kicks off this list.
Marcus Allen, running back
There’s no question, Marcus Allen was the best Raider back of all time. Some people might feel tempted to put Bo Jackson on this list. As exciting as he was, his time with the Raiders was very short. Allen could’ve been the very best running back of all time if it hadn’t been for an infamous feud with owner Al Davis. Allen wasted years blocking for and backing up Jackson, and he still went on to have over 12,000 rushing yards and 123 touchdowns in his career. And who could forget that run in the Super Bowl?
Mark Van Eeghen, fullback
While Van Eeghen isn’t a household name, he was the driving force for three different Super Bowl rushers. His pulverizing, pummeling blocking style silenced the likes of “The Purple People Eaters” in Minnesota, and paved the way for the Raiders run game.
Tim Brown, wide receiver
Unlike most of the players on this list, Tim Brown never won the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, Brown played with some mediocre Raider teams during the majority of his career, only briefly pairing up with Jerry Rice and Rich Gannon at the very end. Jon Gruden may have stolen Brown’s Lombardi, but as of 2015, he was finally enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Many have speculated how great Brown could have been if he and Jerry Rice were drafted to different teams as rookies, and that’s high praise.
Cliff Branch, wide receiver
When you think of an Al Davis Raider, one thing comes to mind. Speed. Al Davis loved speed, and he loved the vertical offense. Al watched Hall of Fame receiver Lance Alworth play in his time with the San Diego Chargers, and when he went to Oakland, he found the closest thing to a clone of Alworth in Branch. In the 1972 NCAA Track semifinals, Branch famously ran the 100 meter dash in ten seconds flat. THAT is speed. He went on to catch 500 passes for over 8,600 yards and 67 touchdowns. Despite winning three Super Bowls and being named a First Team All-Pro four times, his name is nowhere to be found in Canton, Ohio. That’s a criminal shame, but here at Last Word on Sports, we respect legends, so he makes this list.
Fred Biletnikoff, wide receiver
Unlike Branch, Freddy Biletnikoff was not astonishingly fast. At 6’1, 190 pounds, he wasn’t even remarkably big. That didn’t stop him from being named to six Pro Bowls, being named All-Pro twice, and being named the MVP of Super Bowl XI. Biletnikoff set an NFL record by becoming the first player in NFL history to have at least 40 catches for ten straight seasons. And in fact, the collegiate award for best receiver is named after him. If that doesn’t warrant a spot on this list, I don’t know what does.
Dave Casper, tight end
Another Raider, another player with an awesome nickname. “The Ghost” is best known for the legendary “Ghost to the Post” play against the Baltimore Colts in 1977. He was a five time Pro Bowler, five time First Team All-Pro, and Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Positions of Note: The Offensive Line
The 2016 Oakland Raiders will have arguably the best offensive line in the NFL when they open the season in New Orleans against the Saints. The Raiders are not strangers to playing behind a great offensive line, though it has been a while. Some of the names at this position were so obvious, you just have to sit back and admire how good the offensive line once was.
Art Shell, left tackle
Forgetting for a moment that Art Shell wasn’t a very good coach, it is important to remember that he was a very, very good player, and one of the first African-American head coaches in NFL history. He played for the Raiders for 14 years before immediately joining the coaching staff in 1983. Some guys are Raiders for life, and Shell was one of those guys.
Gene Upshaw, left guard
It’s weird to think of Gene Upshaw as a football player after all that he did for the NFL as the Executive Director of the National Football League’s Players’ Association (NFLPA). But he has a bust in Canton for what he accomplished for the Raiders on the field. He also played for the Raiders for 14 years, winning two Super Bowls and being named to the NFL’s “All-Time Team” as the best left guard that ever played the position.
Jim Otto, center
Known by younger fans as “that guy who wore double zero”, Jim Otto was actually an incredible center. While Otto played during the AFL’s era, and retired two years before Oakland’s first Super Bowl win, he was an amazing player. He was a nine time AFL All-Star, a three time NFL All-Pro, and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Steve Wisniewski, right guard
Not to be confused with his nephew Stefan Wisniewski, who briefly played center for the Raiders, Steve Wisniewski was the stout guard for the Raiders when I grew up in the 90s. He was an eight time Pro Bowler, an eight time all-Pro, and he started all 206 of his games with the Los Angeles and Oakland Raiders. While he never won a championship for the Raiders, he was a phenomenal player, and one that should receiver Hall of Fame consideration at some point.
Henry Lawrence, right tackle
With Henry Lawrence, we head back to that vaunted offensive line from the 70s and 80s. Lawrence was only voted to two Pro Bowls, but he played in all three of the Raiders’ Super Bowl victories. He helped protect Kenny Stabler at the beginning of his career and blocked for Marcus Allen at the end. Lawrence experienced the golden age of Raiders football first hand.
