| 1976 Oakland Raiders season | |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | John Madden |
| Home Field | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum |
| Results | |
| Record | 13–1–0 |
| Place | 1st AFC West |
| Playoff Finish | Won Divisional Playoff Won AFC Championship Won Super Bowl XI |
| Timeline | |
| Previous season | Next season |
| 1975 | 1977 |
The 1976 Oakland Raiders season finally achieved the ultimate goal of every NFL franchise: winning the Super Bowl. After posting a 13–1 regular season record and winning their sixth AFC West championship in seven seasons, the Raiders rolled to victories against the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers to reach their second Super Bowl appearance. Then on January 11, 1977 at the Rose Bowl Stadium, the Raiders won Super Bowl XI by defeating the Minnesota Vikings 32–14.
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 | Rich 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[]
| 1976 Oakland Raiders roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks
Ken Stabler, David Humm, Mike Rae Running backs Clarence Davis HB, Mark van Eehgan FB, Pete Banaszak, Carl Garrett Wide receivers Fred Biletnikoff, 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 Defensive linemen John Matuszak, Dave Rowe, Otis Sistrunk |
Linebackers
LOLB Phil Villapiano, LILB Willie Hall, RILB Monte Johnson, ROLB Ted Hendricks Defensive backs George Atkinson, Willie Brown, Neal Colzie, Charlie Phillips, Mike Reinfeldt, Jack Tatum, Alonzo "Skip" Thomas Special teams K Errol Mann, P Ray Guy, PR Neal Colzie, KR Carl Garrett
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Season[]
The Road to their first World Championship began on opening day as they faced the reigning world champion Pittsburgh Steelers. In their home opener, 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 5-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 in 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 would end the 1976 season with a 64.3% pass completion. Ken Stabler would complete 66.7% of his passes. Mark van Eeghan would reach the 1000 yard mark with 1012 yards. Dave Casper would lead the team in receptions with 53 while Cliff Branch would lead the team in reception yards (1111), touch downs (12), and yards per reception for receivers who caught more than one pass (24.2).
Schedule[]
| Week | Opponent | Result | Game site |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 31–28 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum |
| 2 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 24–21 | Arrowhead Stadium |
| 3 | at Houston Oilers | W 14–13 | Houston Astrodome |
| 4 | at New England Patriots | L 17–48 | Foxboro Stadium |
| 5 | at San Diego Chargers | W 27–17 | San Diego Stadium |
| 6 | at Denver Broncos | W 17–10 | Mile High Stadium |
| 7 | Green Bay Packers | W 18–14 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum |
| 8 | Denver Broncos | W 19–6 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum |
| 9 | at Chicago Bears | W 28–27 | Soldier Field (I) |
| 10 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 21–10 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum |
| 11 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 26–7 | Veterans Stadium |
| 12 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 49–16 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum |
| 13 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 35–20 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum |
| 14 | San Diego Chargers | W 24–0 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum |
Standings[]
| AFC West | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland Raiders | 13 | 1 | 0 | .929 | 350 | 237 |
| Denver Broncos | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 315 | 206 |
| San Diego Chargers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 248 | 285 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 290 | 376 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0 | 14 | 0 | .000 | 125 | 412 |
Playoffs[]
| Week | Opponent | Result | Game site | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional | New England Patriots | W 24–21 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | AFC Divisional |
| Conference | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 24–7 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | AFC Championship |
| Super Bowl | Minnesota Vikings | W 32–14 | Rose Bowl | Super Bowl XI |
Awards and honors[]
- Ken Stabler, Bert Bell Award[5]
References[]
See also[]
| Preceded by Pittsburgh Steelers 1975 |
Super Bowl champion 1976 |
Succeeded by Dallas Cowboys 1977 |
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