Summary
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 field | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum |
| Results | |
| Record | 13–1 |
| Division place | 1st AFC West |
| Playoff finish | 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 edit
| 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 edit
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
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Season summary edit
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).
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 edit
| 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 edit
| 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 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Game notes edit
Week 1: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers edit
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Week 2: at Kansas City Chiefs edit
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Week 3: at Houston Oilers edit
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Week 4: at New England Patriots edit
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Week 5: at San Diego Chargers edit
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Week 6: at Denver Broncos edit
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Week 7: vs. Green Bay Packers edit
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Week 8: vs. Denver Broncos edit
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Week 9 at Chicago Bears edit
| Period | 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
- Referee: Chuck Heberling
- Box Score
| Game information | ||
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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 edit
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Week 11: at Philadelphia Eagles edit
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Week 12: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers edit
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Week 13: vs. Cincinnati Bengals edit
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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 edit
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Standings edit
| 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 edit
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional | December 18 | New England Patriots | W 24–21 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 53,045
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| AFC Championship | December 26 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 24–7 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 53,739
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| Super Bowl XI | January 9, 1977 | Minnesota Vikings | W 32–14 | Rose Bowl | 100,421
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- Source:[7]
AFC Divisional: vs. New England Patriots edit
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AFC Championship: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers edit
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Super Bowl XI: vs. Minnesota Vikings edit
| Period | 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 |
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Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
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Awards and honors edit
- Ken Stabler, Bert Bell Award[8]
References edit
- ^ AFC Championship Game results, ESPN, Jan. 23, 2016.
- ^ "GREATEST TEAM OF ALL TIME". National Football League. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
- ^ "NFL Top 100 Teams". Pro Football Reference.
- ^ "100 Greatest Teams: Numbers 100-1 SUPERCUT". NFL.com.
- ^ "1976 NFL Draft at databaseFootball.com". Archived from the original on October 15, 2007.
- ^ McDonald's History of the Super Bowl, Volume 3. McDonald's Corporation. 1977. p. 21.
- ^ 1976 Oakland Raiders season at databaseFootball.com Archived May 20, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Maxwell Football Club - Bert Bell Award Past Recipients". Archived from the original on June 19, 2009. Retrieved 2010-06-28.