1976 Oakland Raiders season

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

1976 Oakland Raiders season
Head coach	John Madden
General manager	Al Davis
Owner	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

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

Players

[4]

1976 Oakland Raiders roster
Quarterbacks 12 Ken Stabler David Humm, Mike Rae Running backs Clarence Davis HB, Mark van Eeghen FB, Pete Banaszak, Carl Garrett, Manfred Moore, Hubert Ginn Wide receivers 25 Fred Biletnikoff 21 Cliff Branch, Mike Siani, Morris Bradshaw Tight ends Dave Casper, Warren Bankston		Offensive linemen LT Art Shell, LG Gene Upshaw, C Dave Dalby, RG George Buehler, RT John Vella, Dan Medlin, Henry Lawrence, Steve Sylvester Defensive linemen John Matuszak, Dave Rowe, Otis Sistrunk, Charles Philyaw, Herb McMath		Linebackers LOLB Phil Villapiano, LILB Willie Hall, RILB Monte Johnson, ROLB Ted Hendricks, Rodrigo Barnes, Floyd Rice, Rik Bonness Defensive backs George Atkinson, Willie Brown, Neal Colzie, Charlie Phillips, Mike Reinfeldt, Jack Tatum, Alonzo "Skip" Thomas Special teams K Errol Mann, K Fred Steinfort, P Ray Guy, PR Neal Colzie, KR Carl Garrett

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

Main article: 1976 NFL season

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

• Monday night (September 20, December 6)

Game notes

Week 1: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers at Oakland Raiders

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, wind 8 mph Referee: Jim Tunney TV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy and Don Meredith Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

Week 2: at Kansas City Chiefs

Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs

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, wind 13 mph Television network: ABC Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

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

See also: 1976 Chicago Bears season

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

Scoring summary 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

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

Main article: 1976–77 NFL playoffs

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Venue	Attendance
Divisional	December 18	New England Patriots	W 24–21	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	53,045
Conference	December 26	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 24–7	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	53,739
Super Bowl	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

Main article: Super Bowl XI

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

Game information

Second quarter OAK – Errol Mann 24-yard field goal – Raiders 3-0 OAK – Dave Casper 1-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick) – Raiders 10-0 OAK – Pete Banaszak 1-yard run (kick failed) – Raiders 16-0 Third quarter OAK – Errol Mann 40-yard field goal – Raiders 19-0 MIN – Sammy White 8-yard pass from Fran Tarkenton (Fred Cox kick) – Raiders 19-7 Fourth quarter OAK – Pete Banaszak 2-yard run (Errol Mann kick) – Raiders 26-7 OAK – Willie Brown 75-yard interception return (kick failed) – Raiders 32-7 MIN – Stu Voigt 13-yard pass from Bob Lee (Fred Cox kick) – Raiders 32-14

Awards and honors

• Ken Stabler, Bert Bell Award[6]

References

1. AFC Championship Game results, ESPN, Jan. 23, 2016.
2. "GREATEST TEAM OF ALL TIME". National Football League. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
3. "1976 NFL Draft at databaseFootball.com". Archived from the original on October 15, 2007.
4. McDonald's History of the Super Bowl, Volume 3. McDonald's Corporation. 1977. p. 21.
5. 1976 Oakland Raiders season at databaseFootball.com Archived May 20, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 19, 2009. Retrieved 2010-06-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

See also

• Oakland Raiders
• 1976 NFL season
• 1976 NFL Draft
• 1976–77 NFL playoffs