Post by TheShadow on Aug 3, 2006 10:02:46 GMT -5
www.raiders.com/
As legendary Raiders head coach John Madden prepares to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on Saturday, August 5th, we present a look back at the 16 proud members of the Silver and Black who have previously earned such distinction. We continue with Raiders WR James Lofton, who was enshrined in 2003.
Inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 3, 2003, James Lofton, a number draft pick of Green Bay in 1978, became the first player to ever score a touchdown in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. In 16 seasons, he caught 764 passes for 14,004 yards - an 18.3 average per catch and recorded more than 50 catches in a season nine times. Lofton's speed and "soft hands" made him an immediate deep-threat receiver from the moment he entered the NFL.
During his eight season with the Packers, Lofton lead the team in receptions each year except one (1979). For five of those years he gained more than 1,000 yards making the fifth player to do so. At the start of the 1987 season, Lofton was traded to The Oakland Raiders where he played for two seasons before going on to the Buffalo Bills, L.A. Rams, and Philadelphia Eagles.
During his two seasons with the Raiders (1987-88), Lofton caught 69 passes for 1,429 yards and five touchdowns.
In 1991, at age 35, Lofton became the oldest player in league history to record 1,000 receiving yards in a season and recorded a career-best 220 receiving yards in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. His 14,004 career-reception yardage mark was an NFL best at the time of his retirement, while his 43 games with 100 or more yards receiving ranked third.
Lofton caught 41 passes for 759 yards and eight touchdowns in 13 playoff game appearances, including a seven-reception game in Super Bowl XXVI. In three of those playoff games, he recorded 100-yard plus performances.