We are heading into the home stretch as we count up to the greatest Raiders by jersey number. It has been quite a journey through a storied 41 year Raider past with some iconic Raiders along the way. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have.
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It seems each section of the list has begun with one of the very greatest players in NFL history. Beginning with Jim Otto (00), then Fred Biletnikoff (25), and Dave Dalby (50). And we start the last leg with another legendary Hall of Fame Raider.
75: Howie Long– He went to 8 Pro Bowls and was named All Pro twice during his 13 year Hall of Fame career. He had 13.0 sacks and went to his first Pro Bowl in his third year which, not coincidentally, was the year the Raiders won their third Super Bowl. From that year on, he averaged over seven sacks a season. He never worn any other uniform but the Silver and Black.
76: Steve Wisniewski– He and Howie Long’s accolades are identical across the board. 8 Pro Bowls and 2 All Pros over 13 seasons; all in the Silver and Black. But where Wisniewski stands above the rest is his astounding dependability. He missed two starts in his first three seasons and then didn’t miss a single start the rest of his career– ten years from 92-01. He is the very image of a Hall of Famer. Hopefully his nephew inherited some of that.
77: Lyle Alzado– He joined the Raiders in 1982 at the tail end of an already long NFL career. When he came to the Raiders, the league began officially recording sacks of which he had seven in each of his first two seasons, the second of which saw the Raiders win Super Bowl XVIII.
78: Art Shell– Arguably the greatest offensive tackle in the history of the NFL. He went to 7 straight Pro Bowls from 72-78 (8 total) with two All Pro nods. With Shell at left tackle, the defense had little chance of getting near the quarterback. The Raiders won two Super Bowls under his watch. After he retired, he was a automatic Hall of Famer.
79: Bob Golic– Bob is the more accomplished of the two Golic brothers, although Mike has become quite the TV and radio personality. Bob played defensive tackle for the Raiders in his final four seasons in the NFL.
80: Zach Miller– His reliable hands and savvy route running have been compared to Dave Casper. Over the past four seasons, he has been the best receiver on this team. He has become the most valuable player on this Raider offense. He was finally recognized for his play last season with a trip to the Pro Bowl.
81: Tim Brown– He has every Raider receiving record and is among the top three in nearly every NFL receiving category. He played 16 seasons with the Raiders. He had over 1000 yards receiving nine straight seasons from 93-01. Over his career he was named to the Pro Bowl nine times—Twice as a kick/punt returner. Which, by the way, is also a category in which he is the Raiders all-time leader.
82: James Jett– He was with the team for ten years as the Raiders’ number two receiver opposite Tim Brown. In his rookie season he had 771 yards receiving with an eye popping 23.4 yards per catch. Over his first eight seasons he averaged 550 yards receiving and surpassed 800 yards twice.
83: Ted Hendricks– “The Mad Stork” joined the Raiders as a two-time All Pro. He brought those talents along with him to lead the Raiders to three Super Bowls. In the last 4 years of his 15-year Hall of Fame career, he went to the Pro Bowl four more times and was named All Pro in two of them. He retired on top after the Raiders won Super Bowl XVIII and was later enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
84: Art Powell– The first great Raider receiver, he was an NFL receiver before the Raiders even existed. He joined the Raiders in 1963 and immediately made All Pro and four straight Pro Bowls as Daryl Lamonica’s favorite target. His 1304 yards receiving would help the Raiders get to Super Bowl II.
85: Bob Chandler– Was with the Raiders for three seasons, starting only one full season. But that was all the Raiders would need of him as he was just the dependable set of hands they needed to win their second Super Bowl.
86: Gerald Irons– He started every game at linebacker for four seasons for the Raiders from 72-75. Later his son Grant played linebacker for the Raiders.
87: Dave Casper– “The Ghost” is a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history. Watching him play was watching poetry in motion. He played his first six seasons with the Raiders and was an All Pro four straight years from 76-79.
88: Raymond Chester– He actually preceded AND followed Dave Casper as tight end of the Raiders. Chester was drafted by the Raiders in 1970 and was a Pro Bowler in each of his first three seasons. He was then sent to Baltimore. While Chester was with the Colts, the Raiders drafted Casper and HE was a four time All Pro, helping the Raiders win their first Super Bowl. Then in 1978 Chester returned to the Raiders and he and Casper were BOTH Pro Bowlers in 79. Casper went to the Oilers in 1980 and Chester was the Raiders tight end until 81, winning a Super Bowl of his own during that time.
89: Ronald Curry– At North Carolina, he played quarterback for the football team and point guard on the basketball team. The Raiders drafted him in the 7th round and converted him to wide receiver. He was the Raiders most reliable receiver for five seasons after Hall of Famers Tim Brown and Jerry Rice left.
90: Grady Jackson– Another low round find, Jackson came out of little Knoxville College and had a long NFL career. He played defensive tackle for the Raider for the first five seasons tallying 19 sacks over the last four.
91: Chester McGlockton– This massive defensive tackle was drafted in the first round in 1992. He started every game for five seasons for the Raiders from 93-97, averaging over 9 sacks a season, going to four Pro Bowls, and being once named All Pro. He had a 12-year NFL career but never again saw the kind of success he had with the Raiders.
92: Richard Seymour– In just two years Seymour has become the greatest player to wear the number 92 for the Raiders. He is a leader and a powerful influence on the mindset of a team that has lacked confidence for quite some time. He went to the Pro Bowl last season after he was switched to defensive tackle.
93: Greg Townsend– Played 13 seasons in the NFL, all but one of which for the Raiders. He came to the Raiders in 1983 in time to help them win Super Bowl XVIII. He had 10.5 sacks as a rookie and continued to be a sack machine throughout his career. For the first nine years of his career he averaged over 10 sacks a season, reaching the Pro Bowl in 90 and 91.
94: Anthony Smith– When Townsend left, Smith picked up the pass rushing duties and carried on. He was drafted by the Raiders in 1991 and had double digit sacks in his first three seasons. He played four more seasons for the Raiders, averaging over 8 sacks a season.
95: Marquis Cooper– He was killed at sea in a tragic boating accident in 2009. The last jersey he ever wore had a silver 95 on it. And his former teammates wore his number on their helmets in memoriam the following season. Some believe he took the form of a pigeon during a game two seasons ago and lined up on Special Teams one more time. There are no great, legendary Raider players who wore this number so until further notice, it belongs to Coop.
96: Darrell Russell– Like Anthony Smith before him and Townsend before him, Darrel Russell took the torch as the next great Raider sack master. He had 10.0 sacks in his second season in the league from the defensive tackle spot. Those sacks and his 56 tackles earned him All Pro honors. He played five seasons with the Raiders. His life, like Marquis Cooper, was cut short by a tragic accident.
97: John Parrella– He ended his career with the Raiders after 8 seasons anchoring the Chargers defensive line. He was with the Raiders for three seasons.
98: Bobby Hamilton– The journeyman defensive end stopped over in Oakland for two seasons. During that time he played some decent defensive end, starting nearly every game before leaving to continue his NFL journey.
99: Winston Moss– Played four great seasons at linebacker for the Raiders from 91-94. He has since been a fine assistant coach in the NFL including being the linebackers coach for the current Super Bowl champion Packers.
Notable omissions bumped by even greater players:
80: Jerry Rice– He is arguably the greatest football player of all time. And if this list were about career accomplishments, he would be a shoo in. But he only played three seasons for the Raiders. They were great seasons mind you and he and Tim Brown’s reliable hands gave Rich Gannon great targets. They comprised the high-powered Raider offense that went all the way to Super Bowl XXXVII.
81: Warren Wells– He and Art Powell were the favorite targets of Daryl Lamonica in the Raiders vertical attack. Wells only played five seasons in the NFL but the final three with the Raiders saw him go over 1000 yards receiving twice and head to the Pro Bowl twice as well.
83: Ben Davidson: A feared attacker from the defensive end spot for the Raiders in the 60’s and early 70’s. He was the Raiders first great defensive lineman, spending eight seasons on the team while heading to three Pro Bowls and one All Pro.
86: Mervyn Fernandez– One of the most beloved Raiders because he was born on Merced California and attended nearby San Jose State. He was the Raiders best receiver from 88-91 until Tim Brown emerged as a receiver.
Special thanks to Mathew Sublett for contributing to this list
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