1974 Oakland Raiders season
OwnerAl Davis
General managerAl Davis
Head coachJohn Madden
Home fieldOakland–Alameda County Coliseum
Results
Record12–2
Division place1st AFC West
Playoff finishWon Divisional Playoffs
(vs. Dolphins) 28–26
Lost AFC Championship
(vs. Steelers) 13–24

The 1974 Oakland Raiders season was the team's 15th season in Oakland and fifth in the National Football League. The team would post a superb 12–2 record; the campaign's two losses would be by a total of four points. The Raiders' record (the team's best since 1969) would ensure their fourth AFC West title in five years.

For the second straight campaign, the Raiders exacted revenge upon the team that had eliminated them in the prior year's playoffs. This time, Oakland toppled the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins, by a score of 28–26, in the playoffs' Divisional round. Quarterback Kenny Stabler (in his first full season as a starter) threw a last-minute winning touchdown pass to running back Clarence Davis in what has come to be known as the "Sea of Hands" game.

For the second straight season, however, the Raiders lost in the AFC Championship Game. They were upset, 24–13, by the eventual champion Pittsburgh Steelers. While the Raiders led 10–3 at the end of the third quarter, a defensive meltdown would allow the Steelers to score 21 points in the final frame.

The 2006 edition of Pro Football Prospectus[1] listed the 1974 Raiders as one of their "Heartbreak Seasons", in which teams "dominated the entire regular season only to falter in the playoffs, unable to close the deal." Pro Football Prospectus states, The John Madden Raiders were a consistently good regular season team, but the playoffs were a different story. The 1972 season came to an end with the painful Immaculate Reception game. The 1973 Raiders ended Miami's 18-game winning streak during the regular season but lost to the Dolphins in the AFC Championship game. In 1974, the Raiders seemed to finally have all the pieces."

Despite the disappointment at the end of the 1974 season, Pro Football Prospectus continues, "[t]he Raiders persevered, keeping the team's core together the next several seasons. In 1975, they again fell to the Steelers in the AFC title game, but caught a break in the 1976 AFC Championship, when they cruised to a 24–7 victory over Pittsburgh, who were without running backs Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier. Finally, in the Super Bowl, they did not waste their opportunity, crushing the Vikings 32–14 behind Ken Stabler and Clarence Davis."

"The Autumn Wind", a poem written by former NFL Films President and co-founder Steve Sabol, became the unofficial team anthem of the Raiders,[2][3][4][5] and was first used for the team's official team yearbook film in 1974. It was narrated by John Facenda,[6] and dubbed "The Battle Hymn of the Raider Nation".[7]

1974 marked the end of an era, as the last remaining original Raider, longtime offensive lineman Jim Otto, retired after all 10 seasons in the AFL, 5 seasons in the NFL, and 15 seasons with the Raiders. Counting playoff games, he showed up for every one of the first 223 games in Oakland Raiders history.

Offseason

Draft

Main article: 1974 NFL Draft
1974 Oakland Raiders draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 19 Henry Lawrence *  Tackle Florida A&M
2 45 Dave Casper * †  Tight end Notre Dame
3 75 Mark van Eeghen  Running back Colgate
4 93 Morris Bradshaw  Wide receiver Ohio State
5 123 Pete Wessel  Defensive back Northwestern
6 148 James McAlister  Running back UCLA Signed with Southern California Sun (WFL)
7 175 Rod Garcia  Kicker Stanford
9 227 Ken Pope  Defensive back Oklahoma
10 253 Chris Arnold  Defensive back Virginia State
11 279 Harold Hart  Running back Texas Southern
12 305 Noe Gonzalez  Running back Southwest Texas State
13 330 Mike Dennery  Linebacker Southern Miss
14 357 Don Willingham  Running back Milwaukee
15 383 Greg Mathis  Defensive back Idaho State
16 409 Delario Robinson  Wide receiver Kansas
17 435 James Morris  Defensive tackle Missouri Valley
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[8]

Roster

1974 Oakland Raiders roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad



Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
1 September 16 at Buffalo Bills L 20–21 0–1 Rich Stadium 80,020 Recap
2 September 22 Kansas City Chiefs W 27–7 1–1 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 48,108 Recap
3 September 29 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 17–0 2–1 Three Rivers Stadium 48,304 Recap
4 October 6 at Cleveland Browns W 40–24 3–1 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 65,247 Recap
5 October 13 at San Diego Chargers W 14–10 4–1 San Diego Stadium 40,539 Recap
6 October 20 Cincinnati Bengals W 30–27 5–1 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 54,020 Recap
7 October 27 at San Francisco 49ers W 35–24 6–1 Candlestick Park 58,284 Recap
8 November 3 at Denver Broncos W 28–17 7–1 Mile High Stadium 45,946 Recap
9 November 10 Detroit Lions W 35–13 8–1 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 51,973 Recap
10 November 17 San Diego Chargers W 17–10 9–1 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 50,178 Recap
11 November 24 Denver Broncos L 17–20 9–2 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 51,224 Recap
12 December 1 New England Patriots W 41–26 10–2 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 50,120 Recap
13 December 8 at Kansas City Chiefs W 7–6 11–2 Arrowhead Stadium 60,577 Recap
14 December 14 Dallas Cowboys W 27–23 12–2 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 45,840 Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1

See also: 1974 Buffalo Bills season
Week One: Oakland Raiders at Buffalo Bills – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Raiders 0 3 71020
Bills 0 7 01421

at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

  • Date: September 16
  • Game time: 9:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 59 F, wind 13 mph (21 km/h)
  • Referee: Ben Dreith
  • TV: ABC
  • Box Score

Week 2

1 234Total
Chiefs 0 070 7
• Raiders 7 1307 27
Scoring summary
1OAKDave Casper 5 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)Raiders 7–0
2OAKMike Siani 9 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)Raiders 14–0
2OAKPete Banaszak 20 yard run (kick failed)Raiders 20–0
3KCWilbur Young 50 yard interception return (Jan Stenerud kick)Raiders 20–7
4OAKDave Casper 2 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)Raiders 27–7

[9]

Week 3

1 234Total
• Raiders 7 1000 17
Steelers 0 000 0
Scoring summary
1OAKKen Stabler 1 yard run (George Blanda kick)Raiders 7–0
2OAKCliff Branch 19 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)Raiders 14–0
2OAKGeorge Blanda 35 yard field goalRaiders 17–0

[10]

Week 14

1 234Total
Cowboys 9 077 23
• Raiders 3 1473 27
Scoring summary
1DALDrew Pearson recovers fumble in end zone (Efren Herrera kick)Cowboys 7–0
1OAKGeorge Blanda 31 yard field goalCowboys 7–3
1DALSafety, center snap fumbled out of end zoneCowboys 9–3
2OAKFred Biletnikoff 9 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)Raiders 10–9
2OAKCharlie Smith 14 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)Raiders 17–9
3OAKCliff Branch 28 yard pass from George Blanda (George Blanda kick)Raiders 24–9
3DALDoug Dennison 1 yard run (Efren Herrera kick)Raiders 24–16
4OAKGeorge Blanda 34 yard field goalRaiders 27–16
4DALDoug Dennison 2 yard run (Efren Herrera kick)Raiders 27–23

[11]

Standings

AFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Oakland Raiders 12 2 0 .857 5–1 9–2 355 228 W3
Denver Broncos 7 6 1 .536 3–3 5–4–1 302 294 L1
Kansas City Chiefs 5 9 0 .357 2–4 4–7 233 293 L2
San Diego Chargers 5 9 0 .357 2–4 4–7 212 285 W2

Playoffs

Main article: 1974–75 NFL playoffs
Round Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
Divisional December 21 Miami Dolphins W 28–26 1–0 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 52,817
AFC Championship December 29 Pittsburgh Steelers L 13–24 1–1 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 53,515

Game summaries

Divisional: vs. Miami Dolphins

1 234Total
Dolphins 7 3610 26
• Raiders 0 7714 28
Scoring summary
1DolphinsNat Moore 89 yard kickoff return (Garo Yepremian kick)Dolphins 7–0
2RaidersCharlie Smith 31 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)Tie 7–7
2DolphinsGaro Yepremian 33 yard field goalDolphins 10–7
3RaidersFred Biletnikoff 13 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)Raiders 14–10
3DolphinsPaul Warfield 16 yard pass from Bob Griese (kick failed)Dolphins 16–14
4DolphinsGaro Yepremian 46 yard field goalDolphins 19–14
4RaidersCliff Branch 72 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)Raiders 21–19
4DolphinsBenny Malone 23 yard run (Garo Yepremian kick)Dolphins 26–21
4RaidersClarence Davis 8 yard pass from Ken Stabler (George Blanda kick)Raiders 28–26

References

  1. ^ Pro Football Prospectus 2006 (ISBN 0761142177), p.73-75
  2. ^ Warnock to sell luxury suites at stadium, ESPN, May 7, 2004, retrieved January 27, 2008
  3. ^ "The Recap", The Washington Post, October 30, 2006, retrieved January 27, 2008
  4. ^ Steele, David (October 23, 2000), Coliseum Turns Into Wind Tunnel for a Day, San Francisco Chronicle, retrieved January 27, 2008
  5. ^ Carr, Bob (November 1, 2005), What do the Tennessee Titans and the San Diego Chargers have in Common?, San Francisco Chronicle, retrieved January 27, 2008
  6. ^ Peterseim, Peter (December 29, 2001), Cool Hand Luke, Wilt the Stilt, and the nine-headed monster, ESPN, retrieved January 27, 2008
  7. ^ Lynch, Kevin (November 1, 2002), Foreboding song blows through practice, San Francisco Chronicle, retrieved January 27, 2008
  8. ^ "1974 Oakland Raiders Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  9. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
  10. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
  11. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com

Sources

Categories