NFL team season
The 1976 Oakland Raiders seasonNational 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] 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. 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]
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
DB Tulsa
17
481
Nate Beasley
HB Delaware
Roster [ ] [4]
1976 Oakland Raiders roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
Reserve lists
Practice squad
Rookies in italics
Defense
[1]
Offense
[2]
LT
LG
C
RG
RT
Art Shell
Gene Upshaw
Dave Dalby
George Buehler
John Vella
⋅
⋅
⋅
⋅
⋅
Special Teams
PK
PK
P
KR
PR
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
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
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
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 12Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum , Oakland, California Game start: 1:00 p.m. PST Game weather: 62 °F, wind 8 mphReferee: Jim TunneyTV announcers (NBC): Curt Gowdy and Don Meredith
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 20Location: Arrowhead Stadium , Kansas City, Missouri Game start: 8:00 p.m. CST Game weather: 66 °F, wind 13 mphTelevision network: ABC
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 26Location: Houston Astrodome , Houston, Texas Game start: 1:00 p.m. CST Game weather: indoors (dome)
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 3Location: Schaefer Stadium , Foxboro, Massachusetts Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game weather: 60 °F, wind 10 mph
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 10Location: San Diego Stadium , San Diego, California Game start: 1:00 p.m. PST
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 17Location: Mile High Stadium , Denver, Colorado Game start: 1:00 p.m. MST
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
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
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, 1976Game time : 2:00 p.m. EST Game weather : Sunny, 36 °F (2 °C)Game attendance : 53,585Box Score
show
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
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 21Location: Veterans Stadium , Philadelphia Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
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
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 6Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum , Oakland, California Game start: 6:00 p.m. PST Game weather: 52 °F, wind 6 mphReferee: Tommy BellTV announcers (ABC): Howard Cosell Frank Gifford and Alex Karras show 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
Standings [ ] Playoffs [ ] Source: [5] AFC Divisional: vs. New England Patriots [ ]
AFC Divisional Playoff
1
2 3 4 Total
Patriots
7
0 14 0
21
• Raiders
3
7 0 14
24
Date: December 18Location: Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum , Oakland, California Game start: 1:00 p.m. PST Referee: Ben Dreith TV announcers (NBC ): Curt Gowdy and Don Meredith
AFC Championship: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers [ ]
AFC Championship Game
1
2 3 4 Total
Steelers
0
7 0 0
7
• Raiders
3
14 7 0
24
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 9Game time : 12:50 pm. PSTGame weather : 52 °F (11 °C), wind 6 mph, relative humidity 59%Referee : Jim TunneyTV announcers (NBC) : Curt Gowdy , Don Meredith Pro-Football-Reference.com
show
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 [ ] References [ ]
^ AFC Championship Game results , ESPN, Jan. 23, 2016.^ "GREATEST TEAM OF ALL TIME" . National Football League the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2013 .^ "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 ^ "Archived copy" . Archived from the original on June 19, 2009. Retrieved 2010-06-28 .CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link )
See also [ ] show 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Bold indicates
AFL Championship (1960–1965) or
Super Bowl (1966–present) victory
Italics indicates
AFL Championship (1966–1969) and/or
Super Bowl (1966–present) appearance
show Oakland Raiders Super Bowl XI champions
show Las Vegas Raiders
Founded in 1960
Played in Oakland, California Los Angeles
Based in Paradise, Nevada
Headquartered in Henderson, Nevada Franchise Stadiums Key personnel
Owner/CEO: Mark Davis
President:
General manager: Mike Mayock
Head coach: Jon Gruden Culture Lore Rivalries Media
Broadcasters Television:
Radio:
Wild card berths (6) Division championships (15) Conference championships (4) League championships (4) Current league affiliations Former league affiliation
League: American Football League (1960–1969)
