Post by TheShadow on Mar 12, 2007 19:38:21 GMT -5
www.raiders.com/
Linebacker Rod Martin was selected by The Oakland Raiders in the 12th round of the 1977 NFL Draft. Martin played 10 years with the Raiders and is the only player to ever record three interceptions in one Super Bowl. In 12 NFL seasons, Martin recorded 14 interceptions which he returned for 224 yards and four touchdowns, and also recovered 10 fumbles for 122 return yards and two touchdowns. Martin was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1983 and 1984.
Raiders.com: When did you start playing football?
Rod Martin: I was a junior in high school when I started playing football at Alexander Hamilton High School.
Raiders.com: How did you become a Raider?
Rod Martin: I got drafted in the 12th round by the Raiders. They had just won the Super Bowl against the Minnesota Vikings and John Madden had got down to the 12th round, where everybody knows when you get to the 12th round you draft basketball players, track stars, ball boys, and whatever, but he had an idea to go and ask his friend John Robinson if anybody was walking around USC that could play in the NFL that hasn't been drafted and John Robinson looked and he saw that I hadn't been drafted so he called John Madden and told Madden 'Rod Martin could play, draft him.' And that's how I got drafted, in the 12A to be exact.
Raiders.com: What did it mean for you to play with the Raiders?
Rod Martin: The Raiders were my team growing up in Los Angeles. I didn't like the [Los Angeles] Rams at all, as far as playing for them or even cheering for them. I always cheered for The Oakland Raiders. It was the Silver and Black that just stood out on the field and the way they played. They were an aggressive football team, they had different characters on the team and it was a very interesting way they played football.
Raiders.com: Is there any one play that stands out in your career?
Rod Martin: Oh, without a doubt. The game itself had to be Super Bowl XV, my first Super Bowl game playing in New Orleans and to have the kind game that I had was just unbelievable to myself and a lot of other people. I had three interceptions, a fumble recovery and had quite a few tackles. I don't know, I might have been third in tackles on the team or something of that nature, but that was my best all around game that I ever played.
Raiders.com: Do you keep in contact with any of your former teammates?
Rod Martin: Oh yeah, of course, we had a lot of success together. When I got drafted, I got drafted along with players like Mike Davis, Lester Hayes, Jeff Barnes, Mickey Marvin, Terry Robiskie, Rich Martini, and Rolf Benirschke. We all got drafted at the same time by The Oakland Raiders and we all had pretty good careers to say the least.
Raiders.com: Which team did you enjoy playing against the most?
Rod Martin: Well, it seemed like everybody that came against us enjoyed it more than we did. Kansas City stands out, Denver stands out, San Diego, Seattle, I mean all of them; you just go right down the line. We had great battles against all of them. But in the order that I said, those are the teams that you wanted to beat.
Raiders.com: Do you attend any Raider games?
Rod Martin: Yes, I try to make at least two or three during the year. This past year I was up for the victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers and that was a great one.
Raiders.com: What are you doing now?
Rod Martin: I work at USC. I am an MIS manager which means I run the technical support department for the financial businesses institution at USC. I have been at USC for six years, and I have been in the manager position for three years now.
Raiders.com: Are there any messages that you would like to pass on to Raider fans?
Rod Martin: We love you. We've always loved you. We've always heard you in the stands rooting for us and the true Raider fans stick with us through thick and thin, and that's why we appreciate you so much. All the games that we've been through, even the fans that were not at the game that we became friends with, I know that they were cheering for us to be successful. That's what a Raider fan is, someone who will stick with your team and have the passion and the desire to continue to support us no matter what. I have been to a lot of places and every where I go, Raider fans are there.
