1976 Oakland Raiders season
NFL team season
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The 1976 Oakland Raiders season was the team's 17th season, and 7th in the National Football League (NFL).
| 1976 Oakland Raiders season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Al Davis |
| General manager | Al Davis |
| Head coach | John Madden |
| Home stadium | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum |
| Results | |
| Record | 13–1 |
| Division place | 1st AFC West |
| Playoffs | Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Patriots) 24–21 Won AFC Championship (vs. Steelers) 24–7 Won Super Bowl XI (vs. Vikings) 32–14 |
After having appeared in the three previous AFC Championship Games – and having lost all three—the 1976 Raiders finally won the conference championship,[1] and went on to win their first Super Bowl.
After posting a 13–1 regular season record and winning their sixth AFC West championship in seven seasons, and their fifth consecutive one, the Raiders won against both the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers to achieve the team's second Super Bowl berth. Then, on January 9, 1977, at the Rose Bowl, the Raiders won Super Bowl XI by rolling over the Minnesota Vikings 32–14. With this victory, the Raiders achieved a 16–1 (.941) overall record. They were the best team in the NFL in 1976.
In 2012, the 1976 Oakland Raiders were named the greatest team of all time by NFL.com's "Bracketology"; a 15-day, six-round fan vote tournament that featured the 64 greatest teams from the Super Bowl era. Oakland beat the 2000 Baltimore Ravens in the final round by a .8% margin.[2] The NFL on its 100th anniversary named the 1976 Raiders #8 on the 100 greatest teams of all time.[3][4]
Offseason
| Round | Overall | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 34 | Charles Philyaw | DE | Texas Southern |
| 2 | 50 | Jeb Blount | QB | Tulsa |
| 3 | 84 | Rik Bonness | LB | Nebraska |
| 4 | 110 | Herb McMath | DE | Morningside |
| 5 | 146 | Fred Steinfort | K | Boston College |
| 7 | 204 | Clarence Chapman | WR | Eastern Michigan |
| 8 | 220 | Jerome Dove | DB | Colorado State |
| 8 | 231 | Terry Kunz | HB | Colorado |
| 10 | 286 | Dwight Lewis | DB | Purdue |
| 11 | 313 | Rick Jennings | HB | Maryland |
| 12 | 343 | Cedric Brown | S | Kent State |
| 13 | 367 | Craig Crnick | DE | Idaho |
| 13 | 370 | Mark Young | G | Washington State |
| 14 | 397 | Calvin Young | HB | Fresno State |
| 15 | 427 | Carl Hargrave | DB | Upper Iowa |
| 16 | 454 | Doug Hogan | DB | Southern California |
| 17 | 478 | Buddy Tate | DB | Tulsa |
| 17 | 481 | Nate Beasley | HB | Delaware |
Personnel
Staff / Coaches
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
|
- Source:[6]
Roster
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Season summary
The Road to their first World Championship began on opening day, as they hosted the two-time reigning world champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Oakland trailed 28–14 with just over five minutes to play, yet orchestrated what many to this day refer to as their Comeback Classic of 1976. They won 31–28 on a 21-yard Fred Steinfort field goal with 18 seconds left.
What followed was a mammoth five-game road trip, featuring wins over each of the Raiders' three divisional foes. It also included Oakland's lone loss on the year, a 48–17 shocker at New England. However, this would just be a preview of things to come between the Raiders and the Patriots.
Oakland's first six wins were by a total of 28 points. Coupled with the loss, the Raiders actually were outscored 151–148 despite a 6–1 record. But they became virtually unbeatable after the defeat. Upon returning home, they cruised to big victories, like a 49–16 stomping of the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and had nail biters like the 28–27 victory against a competitive Chicago Bear team at Soldier Field. They closed out the season with a 24–0 shutout of the San Diego Chargers in Oakland, and ended allowing only 16 points total to division foes Denver, Kansas City and San Diego at home (Tampa Bay was also in the AFC West, finishing 0–14).[8]
The Raiders ended the 1976 season with 64.3% of their passes completed; Ken Stabler completed 66.7% of his passes. Fullback Mark van Eeghen passed the 1,000-yard mark at 1,012 yards. Tight end Dave Casper led the team in receptions with 53, while side receiver Cliff Branch led in reception yards (1,111), touchdowns (12), and yards per reception for receivers who caught more than one pass (24.2).
Preseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 31 | Dallas Cowboys | W 17–14 | 1–0 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 52,391 | Recap |
| 2 | August 7 | vs. St. Louis Cardinals | W 20–9 | 2–0 | Sun Devil Stadium (Tempe, Arizona) | 33,216 | Recap |
| 3 | August 13 | at New York Jets | W 41–17 | 3–0 | Yankee Stadium | 10,726 | Recap |
| 4 | August 21 | Los Angeles Rams | L 14–23 | 3–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 52,615 | Recap |
| 5 | August 29 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 14–9 | 4–1 | Candlestick Park | 52,704 | Recap |
| 6 | September 4 | Seattle Seahawks | W 45–28 | 5–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 51,487 | Recap |
Regular season
Game notes
Week 1: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
| • Raiders | 0 | 7 | 0 | 24 | 31 |
- Date: September 12
- Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. PST
- Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C), wind 8 mph (13 km/h)
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy and Don Meredith
- Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 2: at Kansas City Chiefs
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Raiders | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
- Date: September 20
- Location: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
- Game start: 8:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C), wind 13 mph (21 km/h)
- Referee: Ben Dreith
- TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, and Alex Karras
- Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 3: at Houston Oilers
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Raiders | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Oilers | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
- Date: September 26
- Location: Houston Astrodome, Houston, Texas
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: indoors (dome)
- Referee: Cal Lepore
- Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 4: at New England Patriots
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raiders | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| • Patriots | 7 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 48 |
- Date: October 3
- Location: Schaefer Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C), wind 10 mph (16 km/h)
- Referee: Bernie Ulman
- Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 5: at San Diego Chargers
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Raiders | 7 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 27 |
| Chargers | 7 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
- Date: October 10
- Location: San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. PST
- Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 6: at Denver Broncos
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Raiders | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 17 |
| Broncos | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
- Date: October 17
- Location: Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. MST
- Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 7: vs. Green Bay Packers
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| • Raiders | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
- Date: October 24
- Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. PST
- Referee: Ben Dreith
- Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 8: vs. Denver Broncos
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broncos | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| • Raiders | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 19 |
- Date: October 31
- Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. PST
- Referee: Cal Lepore
- Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 9 at Chicago Bears
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
- Date: November 7, 1976
- Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Sunny, 36 °F (2 °C)
- Game attendance: 53,585
- Referee: Chuck Heberling
- Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Oakland escaped Chicago with a victory after a 31-yard field goal attempt by Bob Thomas with 15 seconds left got caught in a gust of wind and hit the upright.
Week 10: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| • Raiders | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
- Date: November 14
- Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. PST
- Referee: Dick Jorgensen
- Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 11: at Philadelphia Eagles
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Raiders | 12 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 26 |
| Eagles | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
- Date: November 21
- Location: Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Referee: Bob Frederic
- Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 12: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buccaneers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
| • Raiders | 7 | 14 | 21 | 7 | 49 |
- Date: November 28
- Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. PST
- Referee: Fred Silva
- Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
Week 13: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals | 6 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
| • Raiders | 14 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
- Date: December 6
- Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
- Game start: 6:00 p.m. PST
- Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C), wind 6 mph (9.7 km/h)
- Referee: Tommy Bell
- TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell and Alex Karras
- Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
| 1 | Bengals | John McDaniel 40-yard pass from Ken Anderson (kick failed) | Bengals 6–0 | |
| 1 | Raiders | Dave Casper 24-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick) | Raiders 7–6 | |
| 1 | Raiders | Dave Casper 3-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick) | Raiders 14–6 | |
| 2 | Bengals | Stan Fritts 1-yard run (Chris Bahr kick) | Raiders 14–13 | |
| 2 | Raiders | Pete Banaszak 1-yard run (Errol Mann kick) | Raiders 21–13 | |
| 3 | Raiders | Cliff Branch 42-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick) | Raiders 28–13 | |
| 3 | Bengals | Archie Griffin 21-yard run (Chris Bahr kick) | Raiders 28–20 | |
| 4 | Raiders | Fred Biletnikoff 7-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick) | Raiders 35–20 | |
On Monday night, the Steelers and Bengals playoff hopes rested in the hands of Oakland. If the Raiders won, Pittsburgh was in. If Cincinnati won, they were in. With the Raiders' victory, the Steelers tied the Bengals for first in the AFC Central. Pittsburgh would win the division on a tiebreaker.
Week 14: vs. San Diego Chargers
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • Raiders | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
- Date: December 12
- Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. PST
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
Standings
| AFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Oakland Raiders(1) | 13 | 1 | 0 | .929 | 7–0 | 10–1 | 350 | 237 | W10 |
| Denver Broncos | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 5–2 | 7–5 | 315 | 206 | W2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2–5 | 4–8 | 248 | 285 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 2–5 | 4–8 | 290 | 376 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0 | 14 | 0 | .000 | 0–4 | 0–13 | 125 | 412 | L14 |
Playoffs
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional | December 18 | New England Patriots | W 24–21 | 1–0 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 53,045 |
| AFC Championship | December 26 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 24–7 | 2–0 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 53,739 |
| Super Bowl XI | January 9, 1977 | Minnesota Vikings | W 32–14 | 3–0 | Rose Bowl | 100,421 |
- Source:[9]
AFC Divisional: vs. New England Patriots
New England Patriots at Oakland Raiders
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
| • Raiders | 3 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
- Date: December 18
- Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. PST
- Referee: Ben Dreith
- TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy and Don Meredith
- Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
Raiders win and go to the AFC Championship Game and win to the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-7. And win Super Bowl XI to the Minnesota Vikings 32-14.
AFC Championship: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers at Oakland Raiders
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| • Raiders | 3 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
- Date: December 26
- Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
- Game start: 1:00 p.m. PST
- Referee: Tommy Bell
- Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
Raiders win and go to Super Bowl XI where they faced the Minnesota Vikings and win 32-14.
Super Bowl XI: vs. Minnesota Vikings
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raiders | 0 | 16 | 3 | 13 | 32 |
| Vikings | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
at Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
- Date: January 9
- Game time: 12:50 pm. PST
- Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C), wind 6 mph (9.7 km/h), relative humidity 59%
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy, Don Meredith
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Game information |
|---|
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
|
Raiders win and in 1977 finished 11-3 and win in 2OT to the Baltimore Colts 37-31. But lost to the Super Bowl XII loser Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game 20-17.
Awards and honors
- Ken Stabler, Bert Bell Award[10]