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]
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).
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.
1976, oakland, raiders, season, team, 17th, season, national, football, league, owneral, davisgeneral, manageral, davishead, coachjohn, maddenhome, fieldoakland, alameda, county, coliseumresultsrecord13, 1division, place1st, westplayoff, finishwon, divisional,. The 1976 Oakland Raiders season was the team s 17th season and 7th in the National Football League NFL 1976 Oakland Raiders seasonOwnerAl DavisGeneral managerAl DavisHead coachJohn MaddenHome fieldOakland Alameda County ColiseumResultsRecord13 1Division place1st AFC WestPlayoff finishWon Divisional Playoffs vs Patriots 24 21 Won AFC Championship vs Steelers 24 7Won Super Bowl XI vs Vikings 32 14 1975 Raiders seasons 1977 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 Contents 1 Offseason 2 Roster 3 Season summary 4 Preseason 5 Regular season 5 1 Game notes 5 1 1 Week 1 vs Pittsburgh Steelers 5 1 2 Week 2 at Kansas City Chiefs 5 1 3 Week 3 at Houston Oilers 5 1 4 Week 4 at New England Patriots 5 1 5 Week 5 at San Diego Chargers 5 1 6 Week 6 at Denver Broncos 5 1 7 Week 7 vs Green Bay Packers 5 1 8 Week 8 vs Denver Broncos 5 1 9 Week 9 at Chicago Bears 5 1 10 Week 10 vs Kansas City Chiefs 5 1 11 Week 11 at Philadelphia Eagles 5 1 12 Week 12 vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5 1 13 Week 13 vs Cincinnati Bengals 5 1 14 Week 14 vs San Diego Chargers 5 2 Standings 6 Playoffs 6 1 AFC Divisional vs New England Patriots 6 2 AFC Championship vs Pittsburgh Steelers 6 3 Super Bowl XI vs Minnesota Vikings 7 Awards and honors 8 References 9 See alsoOffseason Edit1976 Raiders draft selections 5 Round Overall Player Position College2 34 Charles Philyaw DE Texas Southern2 50 Jeb Blount QB Tulsa3 84 Rik Bonness LB Nebraska4 110 Herb McMath DE Morningside5 146 Fred Steinfort K Boston College7 204 Clarence Chapman WR Eastern Michigan8 220 Jerome Dove DB Colorado State8 231 Terry Kunz HB Colorado10 286 Dwight Lewis DB Purdue11 313 Rick Jennings HB Maryland12 343 Cedric Brown S Kent State13 367 Craig Crnick DE Idaho13 370 Mark Young G Washington State14 397 Calvin Young HB Fresno State15 427 Carl Hargrave DB Upper Iowa16 454 Doug Hogan DB Southern California17 478 Buddy Tate DB Tulsa17 481 Nate Beasley HB DelawareRoster Edit 6 1976 Oakland Raiders roster Quarterbacks 11 David Humm 15 Mike Rae 12 Ken StablerRunning backs 40 Pete Banaszak 28 Clarence Davis 31 Carl Garrett 36 Manfred Moore 30 Mark van Eeghen FBWide receivers 25 Fred Biletnikoff 81 Morris Bradshaw 21 Cliff Branch 49 Mike SianiTight 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 TDefensive 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 VillapianoDefensive 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 CBSpecial teams 8 Ray Guy P 14 Errol Mann K 4 Fred Steinfort K Reserve lists Jeb Blount QB IR Practice squadRookies in italicsDefense 1 FSJack Tatum WLB ILB ILB SLBTed Hendricks Monte Johnson Willie Hall SS43 George Atkinson CBSkip Thomas DE NT DEOtis Sistrunk Dave Rowe John Matuszak Charles Philyaw CBWillie Brown Offense 2 WRFred Biletnikoff LT LG C RG RTArt Shell Gene Upshaw Dave Dalby George Buehler John Vella TEDave Casper WRCliff Branch QBKen Stabler RBClarence Davis FBMark van Eeghen Special teamsPK Errol MannPK Fred Steinfort 1st 7 games P Ray GuyKR Carl GarrettPR Neal ColzieSeason summary EditThe 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 EditWeek Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap1 July 31 Dallas Cowboys W 17 14 1 0 Oakland Alameda County Coliseum 52 391 Recap2 August 7 vs St Louis Cardinals W 20 9 2 0 Sun Devil Stadium Tempe Arizona 33 216 Recap3 August 13 at New York Jets W 41 17 3 0 Yankee Stadium 10 726 Recap4 August 21 Los Angeles Rams L 14 23 3 1 Oakland Alameda County Coliseum 52 615 Recap5 August 29 at San Francisco 49ers W 14 9 4 1 Candlestick Park 52 704 Recap6 September 4 Seattle Seahawks W 45 28 5 1 Oakland Alameda County Coliseum 51 487 RecapRegular season EditMain article 1976 NFL season Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap1 September 12 Pittsburgh Steelers W 31 28 1 0 Oakland Alameda County Coliseum 51 371 Recap2 September 20 at Kansas City Chiefs W 24 21 2 0 Arrowhead Stadium 60 884 Recap3 September 26 at Houston Oilers W 14 13 3 0 Astrodome 42 338 Recap4 October 3 at New England Patriots L 17 48 3 1 Schaefer Stadium 61 068 Recap5 October 10 at San Diego Chargers W 27 17 4 1 San Diego Stadium 50 523 Recap6 October 17 at Denver Broncos W 17 10 5 1 Mile High Stadium 63 431 Recap7 October 24 Green Bay Packers W 18 14 6 1 Oakland Alameda County Coliseum 52 232 Recap8 October 31 Denver Broncos W 19 6 7 1 Oakland Alameda County Coliseum 52 169 Recap9 November 7 at Chicago Bears W 28 27 8 1 Soldier Field 53 585 Recap10 November 14 Kansas City Chiefs W 21 10 9 1 Oakland Alameda County Coliseum 48 259 Recap11 November 21 at Philadelphia Eagles W 26 7 10 1 Veterans Stadium 65 990 Recap12 November 28 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 49 16 11 1 Oakland Alameda County Coliseum 49 590 Recap13 December 6 Cincinnati Bengals W 35 20 12 1 Oakland Alameda County Coliseum 52 430 Recap14 December 12 San Diego Chargers W 24 0 13 1 Oakland Alameda County Coliseum 50 102 RecapNote Intra division opponents are in bold text Game notes Edit Week 1 vs Pittsburgh Steelers Edit Pittsburgh Steelers at Oakland Raiders 1 234TotalSteelers 0 7714 28 Raiders 0 7024 31Date September 12Location Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Oakland CaliforniaGame start 1 00 p m PSTGame weather 62 F 17 C wind 8 mph 13 km h Referee Jim TunneyTV announcers NBC Curt Gowdy and Don MeredithSource Pro Football Reference com Week 2 at Kansas City Chiefs Edit Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs 1 234Total Raiders 7 1007 24Chiefs 0 0714 21Date September 20Location Arrowhead Stadium Kansas City MissouriGame start 8 00 p m CSTGame weather 66 F 19 C wind 13 mph 21 km h Referee Ben DreithTelevision network ABCSource Pro Football Reference com Week 3 at Houston Oilers Edit Oakland Raiders at Houston Oilers 1 234Total Raiders 0 707 14Oilers 6 007 13Date September 26Location Houston Astrodome Houston TexasGame start 1 00 p m CSTGame weather indoors dome Referee Cal LeporeSource Pro Football Reference com Week 4 at New England Patriots Edit Oakland Raiders at New England Patriots 1 234TotalRaiders 0 1007 17 Patriots 7 141413 48Date October 3Location Schaefer Stadium Foxboro MassachusettsGame start 1 00 p m ESTGame weather 60 F 16 C wind 10 mph 16 km h Referee Bernie UlmanSource Pro Football Reference com Week 5 at San Diego Chargers Edit Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers 1 234Total Raiders 7 7013 27Chargers 7 037 17Date October 10Location San Diego Stadium San Diego CaliforniaGame start 1 00 p m PSTSource Pro Football Reference com Week 6 at Denver Broncos Edit Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos 1 234Total Raiders 0 3140 17Broncos 0 1000 10Date October 17Location Mile High Stadium Denver ColoradoGame start 1 00 p m MSTSource Pro Football Reference com Week 7 vs Green Bay Packers Edit Green Bay Packers at Oakland Raiders 1 234TotalPackers 7 007 14 Raiders 0 1800 18Date October 24Location Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Oakland CaliforniaGame start 1 00 p m PSTReferee Ben DreithSource Pro Football Reference com Week 8 vs Denver Broncos Edit Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders 1 234TotalBroncos 6 000 6 Raiders 3 0313 19Date October 31Location Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Oakland CaliforniaGame start 1 00 p m PSTReferee Cal LeporeSource Pro Football Reference com Week 9 at Chicago Bears Edit See also 1976 Chicago Bears season Week Nine Oakland Raiders 7 1 at Chicago Bears 4 4 Period 1 2 34TotalRaiders 0 14 7728Bears 7 0 20027at Soldier Field Chicago Illinois Date November 7 1976Game time 2 00 p m ESTGame weather Sunny 36 F 2 C Game attendance 53 585Referee Chuck HeberlingBox Score Game informationFirst 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 passersOAK Ken Stabler 11 17 234 yards 3 TD CHI Bob Avellini 10 18 204 yards TD INTTop rushersOAK Mark van Eeghen 12 rushes 62 yards CHI Walter Payton 36 rushes 97 yards 3 TDTop receiversOAK 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 Edit Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders 1 234TotalChiefs 0 730 10 Raiders 7 770 21Date November 14Location Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Oakland CaliforniaGame start 1 00 p m PSTReferee Dick JorgensenSource Pro Football Reference com Week 11 at Philadelphia Eagles Edit Oakland Raiders at Philadelphia Eagles 1 234Total Raiders 12 077 26Eagles 7 000 7Date November 21Location Veterans Stadium PhiladelphiaGame start 1 00 p m ESTReferee Bob FredericSource Pro Football Reference com Week 12 vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Edit Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Oakland Raiders 1 234TotalBuccaneers 7 306 16 Raiders 7 14217 49Date November 28Location Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Oakland CaliforniaGame start 1 00 p m PSTReferee Fred SilvaSource Pro Football Reference com Week 13 vs Cincinnati Bengals Edit Cincinnati Bengals at Oakland Raiders 1 234TotalBengals 6 770 20 Raiders 14 777 35Date December 6Location Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Oakland CaliforniaGame start 6 00 p m PSTGame weather 52 F 11 C wind 6 mph 9 7 km h Referee Tommy BellTV announcers ABC Frank Gifford Howard Cosell and Alex KarrasSource Pro Football Reference comScoring summary1BengalsJohn McDaniel 40 yard pass from Ken Anderson kick failed Bengals 6 0 1RaidersDave Casper 24 yard pass from Ken Stabler Errol Mann kick Raiders 7 6 1RaidersDave Casper 3 yard pass from Ken Stabler Errol Mann kick Raiders 14 6 2BengalsStan Fritts 1 yard run Chris Bahr kick Raiders 14 13 2RaidersPete Banaszak 1 yard run Errol Mann kick Raiders 21 13 3RaidersCliff Branch 42 yard pass from Ken Stabler Errol Mann kick Raiders 28 13 3BengalsArchie Griffin 21 yard run Chris Bahr kick Raiders 28 20 4RaidersFred Biletnikoff 7 yard pass from Ken Stabler Errol Mann kick Raiders 35 20With 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 San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders 1 234TotalChargers 0 000 0 Raiders 7 1070 24Date December 12Location Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Oakland CaliforniaGame start 1 00 p m PSTReferee Jim TunneySource Pro Football Reference com Standings Edit AFC Westviewtalkedit W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STKOakland Raiders 1 13 1 0 929 7 0 10 1 350 237 W10Denver Broncos 9 5 0 643 5 2 7 5 315 206 W2San Diego Chargers 6 8 0 429 2 5 4 8 248 285 L1Kansas City Chiefs 5 9 0 357 2 5 4 8 290 376 W1Tampa Bay Buccaneers 0 14 0 000 0 4 0 13 125 412 L14Playoffs EditMain article 1976 77 NFL playoffs Week Date Opponent Result Venue AttendanceDivisional December 18 New England Patriots W 24 21 Oakland Alameda County Coliseum 53 045AFC Championship December 26 Pittsburgh Steelers W 24 7 Oakland Alameda County Coliseum 53 739Super Bowl XI January 9 1977 Minnesota Vikings W 32 14 Rose Bowl 100 421Source 7 AFC Divisional vs New England Patriots Edit AFC Divisional PlayoffNew England Patriots at Oakland Raiders 1 234TotalPatriots 7 0140 21 Raiders 3 7014 24Date December 18Location Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Oakland CaliforniaGame start 1 00 p m PSTReferee Ben DreithTV announcers NBC Curt Gowdy and Don MeredithSource Pro Football Reference com AFC Championship vs Pittsburgh Steelers Edit AFC Championship GamePittsburgh Steelers at Oakland Raiders 1 234TotalSteelers 0 700 7 Raiders 3 1470 24Date December 26Location Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Oakland CaliforniaGame start 1 00 p m PSTReferee Tommy BellSource Pro Football Reference com Super Bowl XI vs Minnesota Vikings Edit Main article Super Bowl XI Oakland Raiders 32 Minnesota Vikings 14 Period 1 2 34TotalRaiders 0 16 31332Vikings 0 0 7714at Rose Bowl Pasadena California Date January 9Game time 12 50 pm PSTGame weather 52 F 11 C wind 6 mph 9 7 km h relative humidity 59 Referee Jim TunneyTV announcers NBC Curt Gowdy Don MeredithPro Football Reference com Game informationSecond 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 0Third 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 7Fourth 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 14Awards and honors EditKen 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 See also EditOakland Raiders 1976 NFL season 1976 NFL Draft 1976 77 NFL playoffs Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1976 Oakland Raiders season amp oldid 1139929997, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
