DVD Transfer 215 (Super Bowl XI; VHS Rip of Original Broadcast)

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(c)1977 NBC Sports-NBCUniversal/Comcast; National Football League and KGW-Tegna (original broadcast)

DVD Transfer 215 consists of the broadcast of Super Bowl XI - originally played on January 9, 1977 between the Oakland Raiders and Minnesota Vikings at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA (its first of 5 Super Bowls) and was recorded off Portland, OR NBC affiliate KGW-TV 8. I got this via an eBay VHS purchase some years back.

The Oakland Raiders entered 1976 as the NFL’s most consistent winner over the previous decade as dating to the 1967 season which saw the Silver and Black appear in Super Bowl II as champions of the then-separate American Football League; they had not suffered a losing season in that span and made the post-season every year except for 1971. However, in between 1968 and 1975 the Raiders had appeared in 6 AFL or AFC (after the NFL-AFL merger was completed in 1970) Championship Games and lost each one (1968 to the Jets; after which head coach John Rauch left for Buffalo; 1969 {the first year under John Madden} to a Kansas City Chiefs team that Oakland had swept in the regular season; 1970 to the Baltimore Colts; 1973 to the Miami Dolphins and finally 1974 and 1975 saw the Raiders defeated by the other team in what may have been the biggest rivalry in not just the NFL but all pro sports in the 1970s - the Pittsburgh Steelers {the rivalry arguably began in the 1972 AFC Divisional Playoff Game with what became known as the “Immaculate Reception” when a desperation pass from Terry Bradshaw intended for running back John “Frenchy” Fuqua was deflected by either Fuqua, Raider safety Jack Tatum or both into the hands of rookie Steeler running back Franco Harris; who ran it in for the winning touchdown in a 13-7 victory amid significant controversy - as under the rules of the time {and in 1976}; if the ball was deflected by Fuqua alone and then went to Harris the catch was invalid, while if either Tatum deflected the ball or he and Fuqua both deflected it, the catch was legal} and intensified in the 1975 AFC Championship Game {which saw longtime Raider owner Al Davis accuse the Steelers of leaving the artificial turf of Three Rivers Stadium uncovered, allowing the moisture to freeze; as well as a vicious hit by Raider safety George Atkinson knock Pittsburgh receiver Lynn Swann out with a concussion {resulting in a photo of defensive tackle “Mean” Joe Greene carrying Swann off the field} that left his availability for Super Bowl X in doubt {Swann, of course, would play and eventually became that game’s MVP}). Making matters more painful for Raider fans was that in each of those 6 AFL or AFC Championship losses, the team that beat Oakland ended up winning the Super Bowl.

Entering 1976; the Raiders added defensive linemen Charles Philyaw and Herb McMath, linebacker Rik Bonness, running back Terry Kunz, quarterback Jeb Blount and kicker Fred Steinfort via the draft (Steinfort replacing longtime kicker George Blanda, who at 48 decided to call it a career after setting records for most points scored in a career as well as for longevity). In addition to Blanda, other departures from Oakland included running back Jess Phillips (went to New England), tight end Bob Moore (snapped up by the other pirate-themed team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in the 1976 expansion draft {the Buccaneers also hiring former Raider scout Ron Wolf as their vice-president of football operations - Wolf, a future Hall-of-Famer, would return to the Silver and Black in 1979 before becoming best known for his tenure as Green Bay Packers general manager from 1991-2000); defensive end Tony Cline (who moved across the Bay to the San Francisco 49ers); linebacker Mike Dennery (to Miami) and running backs Louis Carter and Harold Hart (both of whom followed Moore and Wolf to Tampa Bay in the expansion draft); while Raiders running back coach John Robinson (who knew John Madden when they were kids) left for the head coaching job at the University of Southern California after previous USC coach John McKay was hired as the Bucs’ first head coach. Outside of the draft, other newcomers to Oakland as the season began included running backs coach Lew Erber (hired after a year in San Francisco after he was let go after 49ers head coach Dick Nolan was fired to replace Robinson); running back Carl Garrett (from the Jets) and linebacker Floyd Rice (from San Diego). 1976 would begin with the Raiders hosting the now two-time defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers; rallying from a 28-14 deficit with roughly 5 minutes to play to win 31-28 after rookie kicker Fred Steinfort kicked a game-winning 21-yard chip shot with 18 seconds left in a game remembered for Atkinson knocking Swann out of the game with another concussion - resulting in Steelers head coach Chuck Noll accusing Atkinson of having a “criminal element” in his play (Atkinson would counter by pointing out the similar play of Steeler cornerback Mel Blount, who in that game had slammed Cliff Branch to the ground head first); followed by similarly close wins over Kansas City and Houston before the New England Patriots handed Oakland their first and only defeat of the season 48-17 (the 31-point margin was the worst margin of defeat for Oakland in over a decade). Oakland rebounded with a 27-17 victory over the Chargers (their biggest margin of victory up to then), then followed by wins over Denver and Green Bay (between the loss to New England and the combined margin of victory in their 6 victories being 28 points, this meant that at mid-season the Raiders - despite being 6-1 at the halfway point of the season - were outscored 151-148). After a 19-6 win over Denver, the Raiders traveled to Chicago; leaving the Windy City with a 28-27 escape after the winds betrayed the hometown Bears after a 31-yard field goal try by Bears kicker Bob Thomas got caught in the wind and hit the upright. Most of Oakland’s remaining victories were far more comfortable, including a 26-7 win over the Philadelphia Eagles (led by 1st year head coach Dick Vermeil), a 49-16 trouncing of the hapless Buccaneers (en route to a winless inaugural season) and a 35-20 Monday Night win over the Cincinnati Bengals (in a game where an Oakland loss would have eliminated the Steelers from playoff contention while wrapping up the AFC Central for the Bengals. A combination of integrity and wanting another crack at the Steelers ensured that they would play to win - with the Steelers winning the division on a tie-breaker while the Bengals - with only 3 division champs and a single wild-card in the playoffs then - found themselves the AFC’s odd team out of the playoffs) en route to a league-best 13-1 mark, their 5th consecutive AFC West title and home-field advantage. The Silver and Black opened up with a grudge match against the one team to beat them in 1976, the New England Patriots (in their first post-season appearance since 1963 and having reversed their 3-11 record of 1975), in the Divisional round. That game would see the Raiders win 24-21 in a game marked by controversy late when - on Oakland’s final drive - an incomplete pass by Ken Stabler on 3rd and 18 was negated by a controversial roughing the passer penalty by New England nose tackle Ray “Sugar Bear” Hamilton; giving the Raiders a first down and setting up Stabler living up to his nickname of “The Snake” by slithering for the game-winning touchdown from 1 yard out with 14 seconds left (this was far from the only controversy in the final quarter, as on a 3rd and 6 on the possession preceding the Raiders’ winning drive; Oakland’s Phil Villapiano managed to get away with such a blatant act of holding on Patriots tight end Russ Francis that Francis later complained of bruise marks on his arm). That set up the fifth consecutive post-season duel between the Raiders and Steelers and third consecutive with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Pittsburgh’s “Steel Curtain” defense - led by Defensive Player of the Year Jack Lambert at middle linebacker - allowed just 9.9 points per game, including giving up just 28 points during the last 9 games of the season. However, in their 40-14 Divisional Playoff win over the Baltimore Colts; both of Pittsburgh’s starting running backs Franco Harris and Rocky Belier (who became the second tandem of running backs to both run for 1000 yards); and the Raiders easily gained their revenge on the Steelers, dethroning the two-time defending champions 24-7 (the game’s date, December 26, made this a late Christmas gift for Raider Nation. Additionally; the game coincided with John Madden’s 17th wedding anniversary, thus marking a bonus gift for his wife Virginia).

Offensively; the Raider attack was led by quarterback Ken “The Snake” Stabler, who received the Bert Bell Award after finishing with a career year; throwing for 2737 yards and 27 touchdowns vs. 17 interceptions while leading the NFL in completion percentage (66.7%), touchdown passes and passer rating (103.7; very impressive by 1976 standards). Behind him; Mike Rae started 2 games, throwing for 417 yards and 6 touchdowns vs. 1 interception (neither quarterback provided a significant ground threat; Stabler for -2 yards; Rae for 37 though both scored a touchdown on the ground). Injuries impacted Oakland’s lineup; with fullback Mark van Eeghen (who got the starting job when regular fullback Marv Hubbard missed the entire season) rumbled for 1012 yards and 3 scores along with catching 17 passes for 103 yards. Halfback Clarence Davis (already beloved among Raider faithful for making the game-winning touchdown catch in what was known as the “Sea of Hands” in the 1974 AFC Divisional game that dethroned the then 2-time defending champion Dolphins) ran for roughly half of van Eeghen’s total (516 yards, 3 TD) while catching 27 passes for 191 yards. Other running back contributions came from veteran fullback Pete Banaszak (mainly used in short-yardage situations; finished with 370 yards and 5 TD’s plus 15 catches for 74 yards); Carl Garrett (220 yards, 1 TD: 9 rec., 108 yards; 18 KR, 388 yards), Miami Dolphins castoff Hubert Ginn (53 yards) and Rick Jennings (mainly a return specialist; returned 16 kickoffs for 417 yards before going on injured reserve late in the year). Oakland’s receiving corps featured speedy Cliff Branch (46 rec., 1111 yards and a league-leading 12 touchdowns), veteran Fred Biletnikoff (Biletnikoff, easily spotted by his fairly liberal - though not to the levels of future teammate Lester Hayes - use of Stickum {which was legal at that time}, snared 43 passes for 551 yards and 7 scores) and tight end Dave Casper added 53 catches for 691 yards and 10 scores. Reserve contributions came from Mike Siani (11 rec., 173 yards, 2 TD); Warren Bankstown (5 rec., 73 yards, 1 TD), Ted Kwalick (4 rec., 15 yards before going on injured reserve) and Morris Bradshaw (whose sole catch went for a 25-yard touchdown). Most of Oakland’s running plays went to the left - where veteran tackle Art Shell and guard Gene Upshaw dominated alongside fellow offensive linemen such as center Dave Dalby (who succeeded original Oakland center Jim Otto upon Otto’s retirement in 1974), guard George Buehler and right tackle John Vella (whose short fuse led to the ironic nickname of “Happy Fella”). Injuries also impacted Oakland’s defense to the degree that they were forced to switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense. Up front; the Raiders were led by defensive ends Otis Sistrunk (11 sacks; 1 FR, 9 yards) and John Matuszak (the “Tooz”; the 1973 #1 overall draft pick who had a checkered career up to then, arrived after being released by the Washington Redskins and finished with 9.5 sacks) along with nose tackle Dave Rowe (4 sacks; 1 FR) and reserves Charles Philyaw (Oakland’s top draft pick; finished with 3 sacks) and Herb McMath (1 sack, 1 FR). Linebacker contributions came from Ted “The Mad Stork” Hendricks (57 tackles, 6 sacks, 5 passes knocked down, 1 int., 9 yards and - in a career that would see him become the NFL’s career leader in blocked kicks - added 2 blocked punts) and Phil Villapiano (5 sacks, 1 FR, 1 int.) outside; Monte Johnson (3 FR, 4 int., 40 yards) and Willie Hall (4 sacks, 2 int., 17 yards) inside with backup support from Floyd Rice (1 sack). Unlike most defenses, the Raider secondary may have been the most feared part of their defense, with a collection of hard-hitters with fearsome nicknames led by veteran Willie Brown (the only starter without a fearsome nickname; the oldest member of the defense at 36 finished with 3 interceptions for 25 yards) alongside Alonzo “Skip” Thomas (also known by the nickname “Dr. Death”; 0.5 sack, 1 FR, 2 int., 26 yards); the aforementioned George “Butch” Atkinson and the most feared of them all, Jack Tatum (“The Assassin” as he called himself tallied 2 interceptions) alongside reserves such as Neal Collie (1 FR; Collie was the main punt returner, taking 41 punts for 448 yards). Even the injury bug struck the kicking game, as while punter Ray Guy finished the year healthy (with 67 punts going for 2785 yards, good for a 41.6 average) the same couldn’t be said for rookie kicker Fred Steinfort, who went 4-8 on field goals and 16-19 on extra points for 28 points before going on injured reserve, with his replacement - Detroit Lions castoff Errol Mann - playing the 2nd half of the season and going 4-11 on field goals but making all but 1 of his extra point tries for 39 points.

Meanwhile; the Minnesota Vikings came into 1976 looking to make their fourth trip to the Super Bowl while still seeking their first victory as well as looking to rebound from a 1975 NFC Divisional Playoff upset at the hands of the eventual NFC Champion Dallas Cowboys 17-14 in the “Hail Mary Game” when Roger Staubach threw a desperate game-winning touchdown pass to Drew Pearson (with Vikings players and fans arguing that Pearson should have been called for offensive pass interference). Departures for the Vikings included running back Ed Marinaro (left for the Jets) and longtime running back Dave Osborn (moved to Green Bay); three of their 4 wide receivers in John Gilliam (who ended up in Atlanta), Clint Haselrig (joining Ed Marinaro with the Jets) and Sam McCullum (taken by the Seattle Seahawks in the 1976 expansion draft); guard John Ward (snapped up by Tampa Bay in the expansion draft), linebacker Bob Stein (retired), safety Terry Brown (went to Cleveland), cornerback Joe Blahak (sent to Tampa Bay in expansion draft) and cornerback Pete Athas (went to New Orleans). Also exiting for Seattle was defensive line coach Jack Patera, hired as the Seahawks’ first head coach. Newcomers included rookies such as defensive tackle James White, receivers Sammy White and Leonard Willis, guard Wes Hamilton, safety Steve Wagner (via a 1975 trade with Atlanta that saw the Falcons pick up running back Oscar Reed) and running back Ron Groce along with former Viking receiver Bob Grim returning to the Vikings, former Bills receiver Ahmad Rashad (Rashad - who was in the Seahawks’ training camp - was traded to Minnesota shortly before the season began in exchange for longtime defensive lineman Bob Lurtsema, known as “Benchwarmer Bob” due to being the first substitute for the Viking defensive linemen), center Doug Dumler (acquired from New England in a trade where the Patriots got Minnesota’s 1976 8th round pick and a 6th rounder in 1977) and former 49er defensive backs Nate Allen and Windlan Hall. Coaching shuffling saw former New York Jets defensive line coach Buddy Ryan hired to replace the departed Patera in that same role (during Ryan’s time there he would work on an early form of what eventually became the 46 defense perfected by the time he arrived in Chicago). The Vikings began 1976 with a 40-9 rout of New Orleans (spoiling the coaching debut with the Saints of the man who denied them their first Super Bowl win opportunity in Hank Stram) before their home opener ended in a 10-10 tie over the Los Angeles Rams before the Vikings went on a 5-game winning streak that included close wins over Detroit (10-9 in a game delayed when the Vikings’ bus to the Pontiac Silverdome got stuck in traffic), a Monday Night game that saw the Vikings gain revenge over their Super Bowl IX loss to Pittsburgh by handing the now two-time defending Super Bowl champion Steelers a 17-6 defeat and a 20-19 decision over Chicago. After the Bears won a 14-13 rematch at Soldier Field, the Vikings won 5 of their last 6 (the sole loss being a 20-16 defeat by San Francisco; with wins including a close win over Seattle 27-21 and a 29-7 rout of the Miami Dolphins {who defeated them in Super Bowl VIII} that clinched the first losing season of Don Shula’s career). In the playoffs, the Vikings - aided by Chuck Foreman and Brent McClanahan both rushing for 100 yards - raced to a 35-6 lead over the Washington Redskins at the end of the 3rd quarter before the NFC Divisional Playoff game resolved itself in a 35-20 win that marked the last playoff appearance for Washington under George Allen before hosting the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game for the 2nd time in 3 years (having done so in 1974). In what would be the last playoff game held at Metropolitan Stadium (the Vikings moved to the Metrodome in 1982 but in between, all of their subsequent playoff games were on the road) and the last game in the Hall-of-Fame career of Rams defensive tackle Merlin Olsen, Minnesota - aided by Bobby Bryant returning a blocked field goal 90 yards for the game’s first score and linebacker Matt Blair blocking a punt which he recovered at the Ram 10 to set up a field goal - ended up denying the Rams a Super Bowl trip for the 3rd straight year, winning 24-13 to punch their ticket to Pasadena.

Offensively, the Vikings were led by Fran Tarkenton (who the previous season became the NFL’s career passing leader) who completed a league-high 255 passes; throwing for 2961 yards and 17 touchdowns vs. 8 interceptions while adding 45 yards and a score on the ground, while Bob Lee threw for 156 yards and 2 interceptions. Chuck Foreman races for 1155 yards and 13 touchdowns while catching a team-high 55 passes for 567 yards and an additional score; while other contributors on the ground included fullback Brent McClanahan (382 yards, 4 TD; 40 rec. 252 yards, 1 rec. TD), Sammy Johnson (a mid-season arrival who added 98 yards) and Robert Miller (286 yards, 23 rec., 181 yards, 1 TD and 5 kick returns for 77 yards). The rebuilt receiving corps for the Vikings were led by rookie Sammy White (whose 51 catches for 906 yards and 10 touchdowns contributed to White winning AP Offensive Rookie of the Year honors); veteran Ahmad Rashad (53 rec., 671 yards, 3 TD); tight end Stu Voigt (28 rec., 303 yards, 1 TD) and reserves Bob Grim (9 rec., 108 yards), Leonard Willis (mainly a return specialist; with 24 KR for 552 yards and 30 PR for 207 yards) and Steve Craig (3 rec., 33 yards); while the Vikings had a veteran offensive line led by center Mick Tinglehoff, guard Ed White and right tackle Ron Yary. Minnesota’s “Purple People Eater” defense - while showing signs of age by 1976 - was still effectively led up front by a front-line of defensive ends Carl Eller (10 sacks) and Jim Marshall (the 39-year-old chipped in 4 sacks), defensive tackles Alan Page (18 sacks, 1 FR, 1 yard) and Doug Sutherland (Sutherland - the only starting defensive lineman under 30 - added 7 sacks and recovered a fumble for 9 yards) along with young backups Mark Mullaney (3 sacks, 2 FR; 3 yards) and rookie James White (1 sack). Minnesota’s linebackers saw veteran Wally Hilgenberg (1 sack, 1 FR) joined by Jeff Siemon in the middle and youngster Matt Blair (5 FR, 8 yards; 2 int., 25 yards) outside alongside reserves such as Amos Martin and Fred McNeill. The secondary featured cornerbacks Nate Allen (1 FR, 4 yards; 3 int., 44 yards) and Nate Wright (7 int., 47 yards); safeties Paul Krause (2 int., 21 yards) and Jeff Wright (1 sack; 1 FR, 1 int., 5 yards) and reserves such as Autry Beamon (1 FR; 1 int., 41 yards) and Bobby Bryant (2 int., 30 yards). Fred Cox contributed 89 points off 19-31 field goals and 32-36 extra-points while Neil Clabo punted 69 times for 2678 yards, good for a 38.8 average.

Oakland began the game with the ball at their 34 following a 23-yard return of the opening kickoff by running back Carl Garrett; and after two short runs Ken Stabler found tight end Dave Casper for 25 yards to the Viking 36. Following a 4-yard run by Clarence Davis, Davis broke loose for 20 yards to Minnesota’s 12-yard-line. However, the Purple People Eaters stiffened to prevent a touchdown, with the Silver and Black’s promising drive coming up empty when Errol Mann’s 29-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright. After forcing a three-and-out on Minnesota’s first possession, the Raiders took over at their 19 with Davis adding 4 more yards along with 5 by Mark van Eeghen and Pete Banaszak powering for 3 yards on 3rd and 1. Fred Biletnikoff then caught his first pass to the Raider 40 but they could advance no further and were forced to punt. Starting at their own 16 after the Ray Guy kick; Fran Tarkenton found Chuck Foreman for a 16-yard completion to Minnesota’s 32, only for the Raiders to give up only 3 more yards afterwards before Neil Clabo was sent out to punt. The Vikings forced a three-and-out on the ensuing possession, then disaster struck as Ray Guy had something happen to him that had never happen in his NFL career: Suffering a blocked punt, as reserve Viking linebacker Fred McNeill blocked the kick (one of only three in his entire career), with McNeill recovering at Oakland’s 3 (notably, the ball bounced over the head of cornerback Bobby Bryant - who scored Minnesota’s first points in the NFC Championship Game against the Rams off a blocked field goal) and seemingly giving the Vikings an excellent opportunity to draw first blood. Instead, after Foreman gained a yard, on 2nd and goal at the Raider 2 Phil Villapiano popped the ball out of Brent McClanahan’s possession, with fellow linebacker Willie Hall emerging with the football with 4:35 left in the opening quarter. After 2 short Banaszak runs, Davis broke a 35-yard scamper to the Raider 41-yard-line. Stabler then fired to Carl Garrett for 11 yards to the Viking 48. After a misfire to Biletnikoff, Stabler found Casper for another 25-yard strike to Minnesota’s 23. Runs by van Eeghen and Davis set up a 3rd and 1 at the Viking 14, with Banaszak picking up another first down to the 8-yard-line as the first quarter expired. The Vikings gave up only one other yard, but this time Mann’s field goal attempt from 24 yards was good, putting the Raiders on top first 3-0 with 48 seconds gone in the 2nd quarter. Minnesota couldn’t do anything with their next drive and a short punt gave Oakland a decent starting field position at their own 36. First, the Snake found Cliff Branch for 8 yards, which were followed by a pair of runs and another short pass to Branch before Dave Casper went 19 yards to the Viking 26 with his next catch. Three Garrett runs totaling 20 yards moved the ball to Minnesota’s 6 before Biletnikoff made a catch for 5 yards before being tackled just short of the goal-line to set up 1st and goal at the 1, upon which the Snake (Stabler) found the Ghost (Casper) for a touchdown to increase Oakland’s lead to 10-0 midway through the 2nd quarter. The Vikings - starting their next drive at their 25 - started well with a 7-yard Foreman run only for the drive to be derailed on 2nd and 3 when Foreman ran 6 yards before losing the ball (while Sammy White recovered, the play was negated by a holding penalty on Ron Yary), with two misfires by Tarkenton forcing the drive to end prematurely once again. A 25-yard return by Neal Colzie gave Oakland the ball at the Viking 35 with 5:53 left in the first half. Oakland ran the ball three times totaling 17 yards before Stabler found a sliding Biletnikoff for a 17-yard gain to the Viking 1; with Banaszak punching it in for the final yard to increase the Raider lead to 16-0 (Mann missed the extra-point) with 3:33 left in the first half. Minnesota started their next drive at their 25 with a 5-yard strike to Foreman followed by 2 Foreman runs totaling 10 yards and a defensive holding penalty on Oakland. Tarkenton then found Ahmad Rashad for 7 yards as the Vikings crossed mid-field for the first time at Oakland’s 48, only for the drive to stall with two incompletions. Neil Clabo’s punt pinned the Raiders at their own 6-yard-line, and outside of an 11-yard van Eeghen run Oakland was unable to do anything with the ball before punting, and Tarkenton’s 26-yard strike to Foreman closed out the first half; with the Raiders up 16-0 and the Vikings - for the 4th time in as many Super Bowl appearances - unable to score a single point in the first half.

The second half would see the Vikings start with the ball at their 23; and following a short Foreman run and an incompletion, Tarkenton found backup running back Robert Miller for a 13-yard strike, followed by a 7-yard reverse by Sammy White and a short Miller run to the Viking 47. Once again, the drive stalled at that spot. Oakland’s first 2nd half possession began at their 16 and - keyed by a 13-yard Davis run - advanced to their 44 before the Vikings forced another punt. Foreman ran twice for 9 yards before John Matuszak stopped Foreman for no gain on 3rd and 1, setting up another punt. Taking over at their 46 after a 12-yard Colzie runback, the Raiders - aided by a 7-yard van Eeghen run and Davis rushing for 18 more - advanced to the Minnesota 29. Alan Page then trapped van Eeghen for a 4-yard loss, and after gaining 10 of the needed 14 yards on a pass to Branch, Mann salvaged the drive with a 40-yard field goal to increase Oakland’s lead to 19-0. Sammy White returned the ensuing kickoff 26 yards to Minnesota’s 32; but the drive didn’t initially spark anything for the Vikings. However after a three-and-out the Vikings got a break when Ted Hendricks - attempting to block Neil Clabo’s punt - was penalized for roughing the kicker; giving the Vikings an automatic first down. Two plays later, Tarkenton found tight end Stu Voigt for 15 yards to the Raider 47 (their deepest penetration so far). Villapiano then sacked Tarkenton, but on the next play the Raiders were caught holding, giving the Vikings a new set of downs. The first play after the latter flag saw Tarkenton find Ahmad Rashad for 21 yards to the Raider 25. 2 of the next 3 plays were runs by Foreman (sandwiching a misfire to White) before Tarkenton found Foreman for a 10-yard strike to the Oakland 8. On 1st and goal; Sammy White - who started things off with a solid return - finished the drive by catching an 8-yard touchdown to put Minnesota on the board 19-7 with 47 seconds left in the 3rd quarter. Oakland’s next drive saw Page - a future justice on Minnesota’s Supreme Court - bring down the gavel on Stabler for an 11-yard sack, and on 3rd and 18 Davis was only able to pick up 16 yards, forcing a punt with 13 seconds gone in the 4th quarter. After a misfire to Robert Miller on the Vikings’ first drive of the quarter and a Miller run; Tarkenton found Sammy White for a 14-yard gain to the Viking 39. Two plays later Tarkenton found White again for an 18-yard gain to the Raider 44. Unfortunately for White; so did Jack Tatum - who delivered a vicious hit that momentarily knocked the rookie out (and famously knocked his helmet off as well). Tarkenton then found Voigt for a 9-yard gain to the Raider 35 only for disaster to strike two plays later when a pass intended for Foreman was stolen by Willie Hall, who returned the interception 16 yards to the Raider 46. After two short runs, Stabler decided to go deep; finding Biletnikoff down the middle for what proved to be a 48-yard gain before Bobby Bryant made a touchdown-saving tackle at the Viking 2. Unfortunately for the weary Viking defense Bryant’s heroics only delayed the inevitable, as on the next play Banaszak picked up his 2nd touchdown run, giving Oakland a commanding 26-7 lead. White returned to give the Vikings decent field position with a 19-yard kick return to the Minnesota 32 but with the Vikings needing 3 scores to win and with just over half a quarter to get them. Following a short pass and an incompletion, Tarkenton found Voigt for a 12-yard gain on 3rd and 7 to the Viking 47. Two plays later Rashad caught a 25-yard pass to the Raider 28-yard-line. There would be no comeback, as on the next play Tarkenton’s short pass intended for White was intercepted by Willie Brown, who returned the theft 75 yards (in a moment immortalized on the NFL Films highlights with the classic slow-motion shot of Brown running toward the setting sun as longtime Raider radio broadcaster Bill King jubilantly called the play) for a touchdown that proved the knockout punch to the Vikings; giving Oakland a 32-7 lead (Mann missed the extra-point again). At this point, the backups started getting playing time, with both teams turning the ball over on downs (about the only significant incident in those possessions was an 11-yard run by Raider backup quarterback Mike Rae on 3rd and 13 at the Viking 25, with the Vikings stopping Oakland short on the next play). Minnesota - now led by Bob Lee - took over at their 14 with 1:56 left to play. After a 2-yard McClanahan run and a misfire to Rashad, Lee then found White for 17 yards to the Viking 33. Backup running back Sammy Johnson was then involved on the next three plays (2 catches totaling 9 yards sandwiching an 8-yard run) before White caught a 20-yard pass to the Raider 30, followed by Johnson catching a 17-yard pass. Finally, from the Oakland 13 Lee found Voigt for a touchdown pass to make the score 32-14. However, only 25 seconds remained; and backup receiver Mike Siani officially capped things by recovering the ensuing onside kick (leading to another famous shot, this time of the Raider linemen briefly carrying a jubilant John Madden on their shoulders as the victory that the Raiders had been denied so often over the course of the previous decade was finally secured).

*all sack totals unofficial prior to 1982

NOTES 1. Calling the action for NBC would be Curt Gowdy and Don Meredith; while “Grandstand” co-hosts Lee Leonard and Bryant Gumbel hosted pregame coverage (this being the second year that NBC had a proper pregame show for its NFL coverage) with former San Francisco 49er quarterback John Brodie (who also worked the NBC Radio coverage alongside longtime #2 NFL voice Jim Simpson - this would be the last Super Bowl for NBC Radio until game XX, when NBC Radio briefly regained national NFL coverage rights, holding that for two years before surrendering the rights back to CBS Radio {now Westwood One} as NBC began winding down its radio network operations in the late 1980s) as a contributor and Gumbel being present for the Lombardi Trophy presentation (while Leonard would contribute in the postgame as a moderator for interviews done in a press conference style format, as was done in Super Bowl IX two years earlier). This would mark Dandy Don’s last game for NBC before Meredith returned to ABC and “Monday Night Football” (where he had worked from 1970-73 before departing in hopes of more acting opportunities) as well as the only Super Bowl for Lee Leonard.

2. For the Ken Stabler - who became the first left-handed quarterback to start a Super Bowl - finished with 180 yards passing and a touchdown; while backup Mike Rae (who entered to run out the clock) didn’t throw a pass but ran twice for 9 yards (the second being a 2-yard loss when he took a knee). The Raider running attack was reversed from its usual direction, with Clarence Davis racing for 137 yards on 16 carries while fullback Mark van Eeghen added 73 on 18 carries. Oakland’s other rushing contributions came from Carl Garrett (19 yards on 4 carries; 1 catch for 11 yards and 47 yards on 2 kick returns), Pete Banaszak (one of four players to significantly contribute to the Raider win that had been part of Oakland’s Super Bowl II team; 19 yards on 10 carries with 2 touchdowns) and Hubert Ginn (same rushing stat line as Mike Rae {2 carries, 9 yards). Fred Biletnikoff (another starter from the Super Bowl II team) won Super Bowl MVP honors on the strength of 4 catches for 79 yards (making Biletnikoff the first - and until Cooper Krupp in Super Bowl LVI, only - receiver to win Super Bowl MVP honors with fewer than 100 receiving yards) - with all but the first reception setting up a Raider touchdown. One of those touchdowns was scored by tight end Dave Casper, who tied Biletnikoff for the team lead with 4 for 70 yards; while Cliff Branch caught 3 passes for 20 yards. Oakland’s offensive line was led by veterans Art Shell and Gene Upshaw (who started Super Bowl II as a rookie), who manhandled the right side of Minnesota’s defensive line to the point where defensive end Jim Marshall failed to record a single tackle while defensive tackle Doug Sutherland was held to 2 while allowing the Raider offense to tally a record 429 yards of total offense. Defensively, Phil Villapiano, Ted Hendricks and George Atkinson tied for the team lead with 6 tackles (with Villapiano adding a sack); while Skip Thomas added 4 stops. Willie Hall, John Matuszak and Otis Sistrunk chipped in 3 tackles (with Hall adding a momentum-shifting fumble recovery early as well as an interception for 16 yards). Two tackles were attributed to Dave Rowe and Jack Tatum (with Tatum delivering the hit of the day on Sammy White); while Monte Johnson, Charlie Phillips, Charles Philyaw, Floyd Rice and the last of the Super Bowl II starters to play a big role - Willie Brown - added a single tackle (with Brown scoring Oakland’s final points with a 75-yard pick-six that was a record for longest interception return until Super Bowl XL when Seattle cornerback Kelly Herndon returned an interception 78 yards {not for a score; that record is currently held by James Harrison’s 100-yard pick-six in game XLIII}). Finally, Neal Collie took 4 punts for 43 yards.

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