Post by TheShadow on Jun 11, 2008 16:05:29 GMT -5
community.foxsports.com
by: Jason Culley
There have been many great wide receivers to don the Silver & Black, here I select the 5 I believe were the best.
#5 JAMES JETT (1993-2002) – With a last name of Jett you know he has to be fast. During his college days at West Virginia he was not only a 4 year starter at wide receiver but was also a seven-time All-American in track and field. Jett was a member of the 4x100 relay team that won gold in 1992 at the Barcelona Olympic Games but did not run in the gold medal performance. He joined the Raiders following the 1993 NFL Draft as an un-drafted free agent and led the league in yards per reception (23.4). Jett finished his career, all playing for the Raiders, with 256 receptions, 4,417 receiving yards and 30 touchdowns.
#4 – ART POWELL (1963-1966) – Art Powell attended San Jose State University and was originally drafted into the National Football League in 1959 by the Philadelphia Eagles in the eleventh round. Powell joined the Raiders in 1963 and immediately made an impact leading the AFL in receiving yards (1,304) and receiving touchdowns (16) on 73 receptions. He would go onto have two more 1,000 yard seasons and finished his Raider career with 254 receptions, 4,491 receiving yards, 50 touchdowns and was selected to play in the American Football League All-Star game all 4 years with the Raiders. After the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 he was selected to the All-AFL Team.
#3 – CLIFF BRANCH (1972-1985) – Cliff Branch played his college football at the University of Colorado and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in 1972 in the fourth round of the National Football League draft. He spent his entire 14 year career with the Raiders and was selected to the Pro Bowl four straight years from 1974-1977. Branch is third all-time for the Raiders in receptions (501), receiving yards (8,685) and receiving touchdowns (67) and owns the franchise record for longest reception, a 99 yard pass from Jim Plunkett in 1983. He was a part of all three Raider Super Bowl victories (Super Bowl XI, XV and XVIII) before retiring in 1985.
#2 – FRED BILETNIKOFF (1965-1978) – Fred Biletnikoff was the first ever consensus All-American football player at Florida State University. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions of the National Football League in the third round and by the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League in the second round. He spent his entire 14 year NFL career with the Raiders and was selected to the Pro Bowl six times (American Football League All Star Game twice, NFL Pro Bowl four times), played in two Super Bowls and was selected as the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XI, a 32-14 Raider victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Biletnikoff finished his career with 540 game played, 589 receptions (10 straight years with 40 or more receptions), 8,974 receiving yards and 76 touchdowns. He was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988 and has a college award named after him, the Fred Biletnikoff Award is given annually to the best college wide receiver. After his playing days he coached in various high school, college and amateur football associations including spending 18 years (1989-2006) as the Raiders wide receiver coach before retiring in 2007.
#1 - TIM BROWN (1988–2003) – From “Touchdown Timmy” to “Mr. Raider”, Tim Brown excelled in college at Notre Dame and in Los Angeles/Oakland with the Raiders. Brown attended Wilson High School in Dallas, Texas before choosing to attend Notre Dame over other schools such as Nebraska, Oklahoma, SMU and Iowa. He earned the nickname “Touchdown Timmy” while playing for the Irish, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1987 and finishing his college career with 137 receptions, 5,024 all-purpose yards and 22 touchdowns. He was the first ever receiver to win the Heisman Trophy. Brown was selected by the Los Angeles Raiders with the 6th pick in the 1988 NFL draft. During his rookie season he led the league in kickoff returns, return yards and yards per return average, earning a trip to the NFL Pro Bowl. He would return to the Pro Bowl 8 more times in his career, once more as a return man and 7 times as a wide receiver. His best season came in 1997 when he led the league in receptions with 104, had a career high 1,408 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. He finished his Raider career with 1,070 receptions, 14,734 receiving yards and 99 receiving touchdowns. Brown spent one season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and finished his career 2nd all-time in receiving yards (14,934), 3rd all-time in receptions (1,094) and tied for 3rd in touchdowns (100). He owns pretty much every Raider receiving record possible including seasons played (16), career games (250), most passing receptions in a career (1,070), yards gained in a career (14,734), touchdown receptions in a career (99), pass receptions in a season (104), yards gained in a season (1,408), pass receptions in a game (14) earning him the nickname “Mr. Raider” and a future Pro Football Hall of Fame selection.
So there they are, my top 5 all-time Raider wide receivers. Did I forget anybody? Let me know your opinions.
by: Jason Culley
There have been many great wide receivers to don the Silver & Black, here I select the 5 I believe were the best.
#5 JAMES JETT (1993-2002) – With a last name of Jett you know he has to be fast. During his college days at West Virginia he was not only a 4 year starter at wide receiver but was also a seven-time All-American in track and field. Jett was a member of the 4x100 relay team that won gold in 1992 at the Barcelona Olympic Games but did not run in the gold medal performance. He joined the Raiders following the 1993 NFL Draft as an un-drafted free agent and led the league in yards per reception (23.4). Jett finished his career, all playing for the Raiders, with 256 receptions, 4,417 receiving yards and 30 touchdowns.
#4 – ART POWELL (1963-1966) – Art Powell attended San Jose State University and was originally drafted into the National Football League in 1959 by the Philadelphia Eagles in the eleventh round. Powell joined the Raiders in 1963 and immediately made an impact leading the AFL in receiving yards (1,304) and receiving touchdowns (16) on 73 receptions. He would go onto have two more 1,000 yard seasons and finished his Raider career with 254 receptions, 4,491 receiving yards, 50 touchdowns and was selected to play in the American Football League All-Star game all 4 years with the Raiders. After the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 he was selected to the All-AFL Team.
#3 – CLIFF BRANCH (1972-1985) – Cliff Branch played his college football at the University of Colorado and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in 1972 in the fourth round of the National Football League draft. He spent his entire 14 year career with the Raiders and was selected to the Pro Bowl four straight years from 1974-1977. Branch is third all-time for the Raiders in receptions (501), receiving yards (8,685) and receiving touchdowns (67) and owns the franchise record for longest reception, a 99 yard pass from Jim Plunkett in 1983. He was a part of all three Raider Super Bowl victories (Super Bowl XI, XV and XVIII) before retiring in 1985.
#2 – FRED BILETNIKOFF (1965-1978) – Fred Biletnikoff was the first ever consensus All-American football player at Florida State University. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions of the National Football League in the third round and by the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League in the second round. He spent his entire 14 year NFL career with the Raiders and was selected to the Pro Bowl six times (American Football League All Star Game twice, NFL Pro Bowl four times), played in two Super Bowls and was selected as the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XI, a 32-14 Raider victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Biletnikoff finished his career with 540 game played, 589 receptions (10 straight years with 40 or more receptions), 8,974 receiving yards and 76 touchdowns. He was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988 and has a college award named after him, the Fred Biletnikoff Award is given annually to the best college wide receiver. After his playing days he coached in various high school, college and amateur football associations including spending 18 years (1989-2006) as the Raiders wide receiver coach before retiring in 2007.
#1 - TIM BROWN (1988–2003) – From “Touchdown Timmy” to “Mr. Raider”, Tim Brown excelled in college at Notre Dame and in Los Angeles/Oakland with the Raiders. Brown attended Wilson High School in Dallas, Texas before choosing to attend Notre Dame over other schools such as Nebraska, Oklahoma, SMU and Iowa. He earned the nickname “Touchdown Timmy” while playing for the Irish, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1987 and finishing his college career with 137 receptions, 5,024 all-purpose yards and 22 touchdowns. He was the first ever receiver to win the Heisman Trophy. Brown was selected by the Los Angeles Raiders with the 6th pick in the 1988 NFL draft. During his rookie season he led the league in kickoff returns, return yards and yards per return average, earning a trip to the NFL Pro Bowl. He would return to the Pro Bowl 8 more times in his career, once more as a return man and 7 times as a wide receiver. His best season came in 1997 when he led the league in receptions with 104, had a career high 1,408 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. He finished his Raider career with 1,070 receptions, 14,734 receiving yards and 99 receiving touchdowns. Brown spent one season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and finished his career 2nd all-time in receiving yards (14,934), 3rd all-time in receptions (1,094) and tied for 3rd in touchdowns (100). He owns pretty much every Raider receiving record possible including seasons played (16), career games (250), most passing receptions in a career (1,070), yards gained in a career (14,734), touchdown receptions in a career (99), pass receptions in a season (104), yards gained in a season (1,408), pass receptions in a game (14) earning him the nickname “Mr. Raider” and a future Pro Football Hall of Fame selection.
So there they are, my top 5 all-time Raider wide receivers. Did I forget anybody? Let me know your opinions.