1976 Oakland Raiders season

Oakland Raiders
1976 Oakland Raiders season
Owner	Al Davis
Head coach	John Madden
General manager	Al Davis
Home field	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum
Results
Record	13–1
Division place	1st AFC West
Playoff finish	Won Divisional Playoffs (Patriots) 24–21 ; Won AFC Championship (Steelers) 24–7; Won Super Bowl XI; (Vikings) 32–14

The 1976 Oakland Raiders season was the team's 17th season, and 7th in the National Football League.

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, 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.

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]

Offseason

1976 Raiders draft selections[3]
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

Roster

[4]

**1976 Oakland Raiders roster**

	Quarterbacks 11 David Humm 15 Mike Rae 12 Ken Stabler Running backs 40 Pete Banaszak 28 Clarence Davis 31 Carl Garrett 36 Manfred Moore 30 Mark van Eeghen FB Wide receivers 25 Fred Biletnikoff 81 Morris Bradshaw 21 Cliff Branch 49 Mike Siani Tight ends 46 Warren Bankston 87 Dave Casper		Offensive linemen 64 George Buehler G 50 Dave Dalby C 70 Henry Lawrence T 79 Dan Medlin G 78 Art Shell T 66 Steve Sylvester G 63 Gene Upshaw G 75 John Vella T Defensive linemen 72 John Matuszak DE 61 Herb McMath DT 77 Charles Philyaw DE 74 Dave Rowe DT 60 Otis Sistrunk DE		Linebackers 51 Rodrigo Barnes 54 Rik Bonness 39 Willie Hall 83 Ted Hendricks 58 Monte Johnson 52 Floyd Rice 41 Phil Villapiano Defensive backs 43 George Atkinson FS 24 Willie Brown CB 20 Neal Colzie CB 47 Charlie Phillips FS 37 Mike Reinfeldt FS 32 Jack Tatum FS 26 Skip Thomas CB Special teams 8 Ray Guy P 14 Errol Mann K 4 Fred Steinfort K		Reserve lists Practice squad Rookies in italics

Defense

CB
Skip Thomas
⋅

CB
Willie Brown
⋅

Offense

WR
Fred Biletnikoff
⋅

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Art Shell	Gene Upshaw	Dave Dalby	George Buehler	John Vella
⋅	⋅	⋅	⋅	⋅

TE
Dave Casper
⋅

WR
Cliff Branch
⋅

QB
Ken Stabler
⋅

RB
Clarence Davis
⋅

FB
Mark van Eeghen
⋅

Special Teams
PK Errol Mann
PK Fred Steinfort (1st 7 games)
P Ray Guy
KR Carl Garrett
PR Neal Colzie

Season

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 became virtually unbeatable after the defeat. Upon returning home, the Raiders 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.

The Raiders ended the 1976 season with a 64.3% pass completion; 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).

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance	Recap
1	September 12	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 31–28	1–0	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	51,371	Recap
2	September 20	at Kansas City Chiefs	W 24–21	2–0	Arrowhead Stadium	60,884	Recap
3	September 26	at Houston Oilers	W 14–13	3–0	Astrodome	42,338	Recap
4	October 3	at New England Patriots	L 17–48	3–1	Schaefer Stadium	61,068	Recap
5	October 10	at San Diego Chargers	W 27–17	4–1	San Diego Stadium	50,523	Recap
6	October 17	at Denver Broncos	W 17–10	5–1	Mile High Stadium	63,431	Recap
7	October 24	Green Bay Packers	W 18–14	6–1	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	52,232	Recap
8	October 31	Denver Broncos	W 19–6	7–1	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	52,169	Recap
9	November 7	at Chicago Bears	W 28–27	8–1	Soldier Field	53,585	Recap
10	November 14	Kansas City Chiefs	W 21–10	9–1	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	48,259	Recap
11	November 21	at Philadelphia Eagles	W 26–7	10–1	Veterans Stadium	65,990	Recap
12	November 28	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 49–16	11–1	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	49,590	Recap
13	December 6	Cincinnati Bengals	W 35–20	12–1	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	52,430	Recap
14	December 12	San Diego Chargers	W 24–0	13–1	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	50,102	Recap

Week 1: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 2: at Kansas City Chiefs

Week 3: at Houston Oilers

Oakland Raiders at Houston Oilers

	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)

Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

Week 4: at New England Patriots

Oakland Raiders at New England Patriots

	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, wind 10 mph

Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

Week 5: at San Diego Chargers

Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers

	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

Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos

	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

Green Bay Packers at Oakland Raiders

	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

Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders

	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

Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

Week 9 at Bears

Week Nine: Oakland Raiders (7–1) at Chicago Bears (4–4)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	0	14	7	7	28
Bears	7	0	20	0	27

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
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

CHI – Walter Payton 5-yard run (Bob Thomas kick). Bears 7–0. Drive:

Second quarter

OAK – Dave Casper 17-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick). Tie 7–7. Drive:
OAK – Cliff Branch 75-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick). Raiders 14–7. Drive:

Third quarter

OAK – Clarence Davis 2-yard run (Errol Mann kick). Raiders 21–7. Drive:
CHI – James Scott 36-yard pass from Bob Avellini (Bob Thomas kick). Raiders 21–14. Drive:
CHI – Walter Payton 12-yard run (kick failed). Raiders 21–20. Drive:
CHI – Walter Payton 2-yard run (Bob Thomas kick). Bears 27–21. Drive:

Fourth quarter

OAK – Cliff Branch 49-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick). Raiders 28–27. Drive:

Top passers

OAK – Ken Stabler – 11/17, 234 yards, 3 TD
CHI – Bob Avellini – 10/18, 204 yards, TD, INT

Top rushers

OAK – Mark van Eeghen – 12 rushes, 62 yards
CHI – Walter Payton – 36 rushes, 97 yards, 3 TD

Top receivers

OAK – Cliff Branch – 5 receptions, 163 yards, 2 TD
CHI – James Scott – 3 receptions, 76 yards, TD

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

Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders

	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

Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

Week 11: at Philadelphia Eagles

Oakland Raiders at Philadelphia Eagles

	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

Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

Week 12: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Oakland Raiders

	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

Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

Week 13: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals at Oakland Raiders

	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, wind 6 mph
Referee: Tommy Bell
TV announcers (ABC): Howard Cosell Frank Gifford and Alex Karras

Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

With the victory, the Raiders clinched a playoff berth for the Steelers.

Week 14: vs. San Diego Chargers

San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders

	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

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

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Venue	Attendance
Divisional	December 18	New England Patriots	W 24–21	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	53,045
AFC Championship	December 26	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 24–7	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	53,739
Super Bowl XI	January 9, 1977	Minnesota Vikings	W 32–14	Rose Bowl	100,421

Source:[5]

AFC Divisional: vs. New England Patriots

AFC Divisional Playoff
New England Patriots at Oakland Raiders

	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

AFC Championship: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC Championship Game
Pittsburgh Steelers at Oakland Raiders

	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

Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

Super Bowl XI: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Oakland Raiders 32, Minnesota Vikings 14

	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 p.m. PST
Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C), wind 6 mph, relative humidity 59%
Referee: Jim Tunney
TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy, Don Meredith
Pro-Football-Reference.com