Post by TheShadow on Jun 9, 2007 20:36:30 GMT -5
www.thepresstribune.com/
By: Tim Menicutch
He looked so ordinary, yet played so extraordinary. On pass routes he always seemed to be open even in an era of professional football when defensive backs were allowed a hands-on approach in coverage.
When his defensive mates were on the field, he struck a familiar pose, sitting atop his helmet, eye black painted high on his cheekbones, intently watching the action.
He was never the biggest or the fastest receiver on the field. But he was usually the best.
Roseville resident Fred Biletnikoff, a pass catching machine for the Oakland Raiders from 1965-78, was one of a kind.
"He made receiving an art," was how former teammate and longtime roommate Pete Banazak summed up Biletnikoff.
Cliff Branch, the speedier half of the Raiders wideout tandem in the '70s, spotted Biletnikoff at Monday's Biletnikoff Hall of Fame Golf Classic in Lincoln.
"Hi dad," Branch said.
"Hi son," Biletnikoff responded.
Branch, who played for the Raiders for 14 seasons and caught 501 passes for 8,685 yards, credits Biletnikoff for shaping his career.
"He taught me almost everything I know about the game of football," Branch said. "He taught me how to concentrate, to never be satisfied and to always strive to be better."
No matter which of Biletnikoff's ex-mates talk about him, the crux of the conversation is always the same. Biletnikoff worked harder than almost anyone to earn his 1988 induction into the NFL's Hall of Fame.
"Freddie would catch 500 balls every day in practice - and that's after he was already an all-pro," said former linebacker Gerald Irons, who played with Biletnikoff and the Raiders for six seasons. "He hated dropping the ball in practice. He wanted to go through the entire practice without dropping one ball. If he dropped one, he'd get miffed and kick the ball." For Biletnikoff, he not only believed the Raiders slogan of "Commitment To Excellence," he lived it.
"Whenever we needed a first down or a touchdown, he came through for us," Irons said. "And that attitude permeated throughout the whole team."
That might sound like a whole lot of company jargon, but the fact remains Biletnikoff never played for a Raiders team with a losing record.
"Come game day, Fred was in his own little world," Banaszak said. "He'd usually be in there throwing up and puking before the game."
Once the game started, however, Biletnikoff was throwing down precise moves and delivering clutch catches.
Before Stickum was outlawed in the NFL in 1981, Biletnikoff was infamous for his use of the sticky substance.
Irons could never forget a Stickum incident just before a game during his rookie season in 1970.
"We were getting hyped for a game," Irons said. "I ran over to Fred to shake his hand ... and my hand stuck. I couldn't move it. We had to be pried apart.
"I tried to give him some high-fives before some games after that, but he'd tell me, 'Give me high-fives after the game.'"
The stories from his ex-mates stretch almost as long as his total receiving yards - roughly four miles worth - but for Biletnikoff the real measure of his fabled career was in his heart.
"Fred has gone through some tough times; things I don't know if I could've gotten through," Banaszak said. "But Fred always finds a way to battle through adversity. When he played football, he had a never-quit attitude and that has carried over into his personal life. He can bounce back from anything. "He gives a lot back to the community. In this day and age, you wonder if the players really, really care. The attitude with today's players is more like two for me, one for you. Not with Fred. It has always been, two for you and one for me."