by Mike Siani
Week 1 @ Los Angeles
The team’s twentieth season began against the Super Bowl-bound Rams. For new head coach Tom Flores, it was the first of four consecutive road games.
Punter Ray Guy and the Oakland kicking game cornered the Rams and rookie Jim Breech kicked his first Raider field goal aided by the sure-handed Dave Humm.
Defensive tackle Reggie Kinlaw, a twelfth-round draft choice who again proved Raider scouting prowess, blocked a punt to set up a touchdown as Ken Stabler hit Derrick Ramsey for six.
Pro Bowl performer Dave Pear, teamed with John Matuszak, spearheaded a rush that shut out the Rams the entire second half. All-Pro tight end Raymond Chester collected the winning score in a 24–17 Oakland victory.
Week 2 @ San Diego
The defense was without John Matuszak, the offense minus tackles Art Shell and Lindsey Mason (who missed the entire season), and Mickey Marvin went out during the game.
Against San Diego, speedster Joe Stewart helped propel the Raiders toward the 1979 NFL lead in kickoff returns. Wide receiver Rich Martini, one of eleven first-year players on the Oakland roster, recorded his first touchdown.
Dave Pear and Dave Browning pressured the Chargers with support from linebackers Ted Hendricks, Monte Johnson, and Rod Martin. Unfortunately for the Raiders, ten points weren’t enough. Final score: San Diego 30, Oakland 10.
Week 3 @ Seattle
The Raiders were short on points in Seattle. A 12-yard pass from Stabler to Rich Martini and a field goal from Jim Breech was all the scoring that the Raiders would do that day. Final score: Seattle 27, Oakland 10.
Week 4 @ Kansas City
In Kansas City, the Raiders found themselves short on personnel. Out for the year were Morris Bradshaw and Joe Stewart, so the young players had to move to the forefront.
Rookie defensive end Willie Jones took rapid aim at team leadership in sacks. Rookie free agent Rufus Bess blocked the Chiefs’ scoring try and came within inches of breaking loose himself.
Quarterback Jim Plunkett came in late and hit Raymond Chester deep to set up the Raiders’ lone score, but Terry Robiskie was down for the season. Final score: Kansas City 25, Oakland 7.
Week 5 vs. Denver
After four road games, the Raiders finally opened at home against the Denver Broncos.
Short on experience but long on aggressiveness, Raiders rookies met the challenge, as Reggie Kinlaw alternated with Willie Jones to corral the Broncos.
The defense grew stronger as the game grew longer and Charles Philyaw, Willie Jones, Rod Martin, Mike Davis, Monte Johnson, and others sealed the verdict. Defensive coaches Charles Sumner, Willie Brown, Oliver Spencer, and Myrel Moore had their horses ready.
The Raiders’ will to win still endured. Final score: Raiders 27, Denver 3.
The next game would be Miami on Monday night.
Week 6 vs. Miami
All-Pro tackle Art Shell was active again while Steve Sylvester checked in at center for the injured Dave Dalby.
In the third period, Art Shell, Gene Upshaw, Steve Sylvester, Dan Medlin, and Henry Lawrence gave Stabler time to find Chester for a score. The determined Raiders defense gave up only three points while scoring once.
Ted Hendricks proved that he had lost neither instinct nor talent in eleven pro seasons.
When the Dolphins threatened late, Reggie Kinlaw smothered Miami’s scoring drive.
The 13–3 win evened the Raider record at 3–3.
Week 7 vs. Atlanta
Despite a short practice week, the Raider defense returned ready for the Falcons. A push by Jeff Barnes, Pat Toomay, Charles Philyaw, and John Matuszak gave cornerback Lester Hayes a chance to score his first Raider TD on a 51-yard interception.
The dominating silver and black thundered for 31 points in the second half alone. Mark van Eeghen scored a total of three TDs, while Clarence Hawkins and Larry Brunson scored one TD each for the Raiders and rolled for 50 points for the fifth time in team history. Final score: Oakland 50, Atlanta 19.
Point production was down, however, after the cross-country trip to tangle with the Jets.
Week 8 @ New York Jets
The defense faced a challenge from these longtime rivals. Rod Martin, Pat Toomay, and Phil Villapiano attacked with controlled fury. Second-year pro Mike Davis worked in combination with Monte Johnson and Henry Williams to record his second pro interception.
Despite 459 yards total offense, 25 first downs and two TDs—Stabler to Raymond Chester—the Raiders lost by 9. Final score: New York 28, Oakland 10.
Week 9 vs. San Diego
Primetime football and the Raiders—an unbeatable combination . . .
A national TV audience of fifty million looked on as the Raiders rose to challenge the Chargers.
Charles Phillips and Rod Martin blitzed quarterback Dan Fouts. When Fouts found time, Monte Jackson and Jack Tatum made certain he found little else.
A now-healthy Cliff Branch added another dimension to the varied Raiders passing game. Fullback Mark van Eeghen relentlessly banged away en route to becoming the number-two rusher in Oakland Raiders history.
A highpoint of the game was a kickoff return of 104 yards by Wisconsin rookie Ira Matthews.
Next came Booker Russell, a young player who learned quickly that a second effort is first nature to those in silver and black. Russell’s third rushing touchdown of the game earned congratulations from teammate Todd Christensen. Final score: Oakland 45, Chargers 22.
Week 10 vs. San Francisco
In the Raiders’ third game against NFC opponents, Oakland limited San Francisco to just 10 points.
For offensive position, the Raiders called on the skills of Larry Brunson, who became the NFL’s number-one kickoff return man in 1979.
First-year fullback Derrick Jensen blasted up inside for Oakland while the Raiders’ defense refused to yield to 49er runners with Hayes, Tatum, Hendricks, and Villapiano spearheading a fourth down stance.
The Raiders’ total domination of NFC teams continued at a record pace. Final score: Oakland 23, San Francisco 10.
Week 11 @ Houston
The calm Texas sky above the Houston Astrodome could not conceal the fury within.
With Raider Mark van Eeghen out injured, heavy traffic concentrated on one fullback, Houston’s All-Pro: Earl Campbell. Lester Hayes, Mike Davis, and Jack Tatum zeroed in on #34, but Campbell was too tough to control.
Despite touchdowns from Chester and Casper, Oakland could not get enough points on the board.
The power and precision passing of quarterback Dan Pastorini, who hit for two long scores, were major factors in Oakland’s loss. Final score: Houston 31, Oakland 17.
Week 12 vs. Kansas City
Back home to meet the Kansas City Chiefs, the Raiders would renew a Western Division rivalry that had thrilled fans for twenty seasons.
It would remain for Raider youth to rise to the occasion—quality youth in the form of rookie defender Reggie Kinlaw and in the performance of Arthur Whittington after missing seven games.
With protection by Dalby and van Eeghen, Stabler had time to go to second-year tight end Derrick Ramsey, van Eeghen, and Branch for scores, but when the gun sounded, the Raiders had lost by three. Final score: Kansas City 24, Oakland 21.
Next on the schedule was Denver on the road.
Week 13 @ Denver
There was snow and ice at Mile High Stadium, but Raiders running back Booker Russell stayed hot as he used blocks by Sylvester, Lawrence, Upshaw, and company to break loose for a 72-yard gain en route to his only 100-yard game of his career.
Stabler and tight end Dave Casper combined for one score and the Raiders battled to a 14–10 lead. Twice the Broncos threatened and twice rookie cornerback Henry Williams shut them down with interceptions. Final score: Oakland 14, Denver 10.
Week 14 @ New Orleans
The first Raiders visit to the Louisiana Superdome would provide the huge, national television audience another unforgettable showing of Raider
s comeback courage.
For nearly three periods the Saints could do no wrong. After thirty-seven minutes, New Orleans ran up a seemingly insurmountable lead. What remained was totally incredible except to Raiders fans who knew that commitment to excellence, not miracles, key the silver and black.
Kinlaw handcuffed the Saints and the game plan of offensive coaches came alive.
After being down 35–14, the Raiders miraculously scored TDs by van Eeghen, Ramsey, and two from Cliff Branch. The Raiders came back to beat the Saints, 42–35.
The Raiders’ Monday-night record now stood at only one loss in fifteen games.
Week 15 vs. Cleveland
Just six days later, the Raiders were again ready for battle. The enemy this time was the Cleveland Browns.
Browning, Toomay, Martin, and Jones led the defense to two interceptions and five sacks. A pass from Stabler to Branch and four field goals by Jim Breech insured victory. Final score: Oakland 19, Cleveland 14.
The win over Cleveland assured the Raiders a fifteenth consecutive winning season for the organization.
Week 16 vs. Seattle
As the 1979 season closed, Pro Bowler Raymond Chester was awarded Most Inspirational Raider.
Against Seattle, the driving battle to the playoffs continued as Lester Hayes picked off a pass and put up six for Oakland. Arthur Whittington fought his way to the end zone as the Raiders inched back, but even with a late score by van Eeghen, the Raiders ended six points from a chance for another year of playoff glory to add to the already unrivaled record of excellence. Final score: Seattle 29, Oakland 24.
Yet one loss could not alter the decades of greatness that had witnessed the Raiders’ monumental climb to the top.
One man who so symbolized Raiders commitment to excellence was Jim Otto. Otto arrived in Oakland in 1960, the Raiders’ first year, and started every game for fifteen seasons.
A keystone of so many outstanding Raider teams, Otto was a perennial giant among Raider giants, and twice won the Gorman Award as the player who best exemplified the pride and spirit of the organization.
“Double O” contributed much to the respect and national acclaim that came to these proud warriors in silver and black. Interior linemen often go unnoticed by the crowd, but Jim Otto won the recognition of his peers.
On August 2, 1980, Jim Otto was the first Raider enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
His will to win spanned two glorious decades, and as a new decade began, this Raider commitment to excellence still burned fiercely as it has through these decades of destiny.
BEGINNING THE NEW DECADE ON A HIGH NOTE: SUPER BOWL XV
1980: ANOTHER INCREDIBLE SEASON AND SUPER BOWL XV
From 1967 through 1977, the Oakland Raiders won nine division titles, a Vince Lombardi trophy, and the reputation of being the most feared team in the NFL.
But by the end of the ’70s, the silver and black were in decline. After not making the playoffs in ’78 and ‘79, Oakland made major changes to compete for a title in 1980. Still, most experts picked them to finish last in the AFC West.
Even though fifteen new players joined the team, Oakland retained their trademark of “Just Win, Baby.”
Veteran guard Gene Upshaw maintained his leadership role and rookie linebacker Matt Millen brought not only youth to the Raiders organization, but physical intensity.
Another new face was that of a former Heisman Trophy winner and number-one draft pick whose career in 1978 had hit rock bottom.
Stanford quarterback Jim Plunkett was drafted by the New England Patriots as the number-one pick of the 1971 NFL draft. The former Heisman Trophy winner spent five uneventful years with the Patriots and two more mediocre years with the 49ers before he was given a second chance with the Raiders.
“Talk about low points,” said Plunkett. “Here I was a first-round draft choice just seven years earlier—out of football. Talk about depression. I didn’t know what to do with myself. Maybe I should quit football altogether and seek employment elsewhere? It was a very difficult time in my life.”
But Gene Upshaw and the rest of the Raiders knew Plunkett had talent.
“We knew he could play. I can remember him being a number-one pick out of Stanford. The Raiders go back to New England to play him in his first game and he beats us.”
Jim still felt he could still play football.
“Even though I was down in the dumps and things weren’t going well for me, I still knew I could play ball. All I needed was another opportunity.”
They don’t call Oakland “the league of lost souls” for nothing. And because of that, Plunkett got the chance to redeem himself with the Raiders.
“It’s always a group that was seen as a renegade group—the halfway house of the NFL—guys who didn’t fit anywhere else,” said Upshaw. “And they always seemed to come to the Raiders and thrive. And it was a simple reason why it always seemed to work. Al Davis always gave you a chance to be you. We used to tell all the players, ‘There ain’t many stops after you leave here.’”
Plunkett felt comfortable with Al Davis.
“Everywhere you’ve gone you’ve been labeled as a savior. You’ve been brought in to help turn this team around. That wasn’t the case with Oakland. Davis told me that he wanted me to sit back, watch and learn our offense, and get myself prepared.”
Entering the 1980 season, Plunkett was the Raiders’ backup behind Dan Pastorini, who was his high school rival in Northern California, and the man selected two spots after Plunkett in the 1971 draft.
“I had just about had it,” said Jim. “Two years on the bench. Stabler was gone and they were now bringing in Pastorini—another strong-armed quarterback.”
Even with his past struggles, Plunkett was not happy with being a bench warmer.
“He didn’t like sitting on the bench,” said Madden. “He wanted to get in a play. It’s no fun to come to practice every day, work as hard as you work, and never get a chance to show it on Sunday and help your team win football games.”
One player expected to help Oakland win right away was a six-two, 250-pound Penn State lineman turned linebacker Matt Millen. Oakland had selected him in the second round of the 1980 NFL draft.
While the team was revered throughout the league, Millen wasn’t really familiar with the organization.
“I didn’t know much about the Raiders. I knew them by reputation only. I knew they were a rogue outfit. When I arrived to Oakland there was a sign that hung above our old locker room that said:
Raiders Rules
Raiders Rule #1: Cheating Is Encouraged
Raiders Rule #2: See Rule #1
According to Gene Upshaw, the Raiders’ rules were known only to the Raiders.
“It was something we said among ourselves when we would be out and away from the game. If we were playing golf, if we were playing shuffleboard—whatever was going on, the old saying was, ‘If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying.’
“You laughed about it until you realized that what they were saying is, ‘Find a way to get it done.’ If someone is holding you, how do you make them stop? You need to talk to the official? Fine. You need to grab them by the throat? Great. You need to punch them in the throat—whatever you need to do, get it done. Is that cheating? Well, I read Raiders Rule #1. Is that cheating; no, actually it was not. I learned very early that every game has its own set of rules and every officiating crew calls them differently. Whatever those rules were that day, you learned them fast and then you learned how to skirt them.”
Whether the Raiders cheated or not didn’t matter. Few thought Oakland would win in 1980.
Matt Millen’s hopes were not high for the 1980 season.
“I really didn’t have very high expectations regarding Oakland because, the day I was drafted, I was quickly informed by the media that the Raiders weren’t going to be very good that year.”
But in 1980, the only surprise bigger than the Oakland Raiders would be the player who ended up l
eading them back to the Super Bowl.
A lineman in college, Matt Millen had six weeks in training camp to learn how to play middle linebacker. Millen made an impression on both his coaches and teammates almost immediately.
Gene Upshaw talks about Matt’s intensity during training camp.
“Matt Millen in training camp . . . now that has to be one experience you could never forget! That was because Matt Millen thought that every day was game day; he thought every play was a game, and he thought they were voting for the Pro Bowl every time he came onto the field. The guy is coming in full speed, and we don’t even have pads on, going right at Shell and myself. We’re thinking, ‘What’s wrong with this guy? Where did he come from?’”
“Art and Gene took me under their wing the moment I got there,” said Millen. “I was like their little puppy.”
“The guy was nuts and he would have something called ‘arm parties’ where he would bring this bar into the room and he and a couple of other guys would do curls at night until they couldn’t lift their arms,” said Upshaw. “He would do this all during training camp!”
“Gene and Art would tell me to just be aggressive,” said Millen. “You need to get that huddle straightened out over there. When I stepped into the huddle, they listened to me. They wanted somebody to take over. So, hey, I took over since no one else was going to.”
While he was having a successful camp, Millen’s ability to lead the defense faced an early obstacle.
“I was so proud to have a form-fitted mouthpiece. I brought it with me from Penn State and it fit in my mouth there perfectly. Kick ’em in the Head Ted Hendricks came walking over to me and said, ‘You got that mouthpiece?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He goes, ‘Is that one of those form-fit mouthpieces?’ ‘Yeah, I got it at Penn State.’ He goes, ‘Let me see that thing.’ I showed it to him and he threw it and it went flying. I said, ‘What the hell are you doing?’ He goes, ‘I can’t understand a damn thing you’re saying. Don’t wear any mouthpiece of any kind. Just yell it out!’ That was the end of my form-fitting mouthpiece.”
There were always guys who did crazy things but they just fit right in. They might be crazy somewhere else, but they weren’t crazy for the Raiders.
