Longtime receiver won three Super Bowls
Although not nearly as potent now, the Raiders (both in Oakland and Los Angeles) once were considered one of the National Football League’s greatest and proudest franchises, featuring greats like Art Shell, Marcus Allen, Ken Stabler and Cliff Branch.
The latter player, Branch, passed away on Aug. 3, just two days after his 71st birthday. Playing collegiately at the University of Colorado, the wide receiver was drafted by the Raiders in 1972 and spent his entire 14-year career with the team, moving with them from Oakland to Los Angeles.
With the silver and black, Branch won Super Bowls in 1977, 1981 and 1984. He was a three-time Pro Bowler and a three-time First Team All-Pro. Finishing his NFL career with 501 receptions, amassing 8,685 yards and scoring 67 touchdowns, he retired with postseason records in receptions and receiving yards in 1986.
Those records were broken by San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice, who also played for the Raiders at the end of his Hall of Fame career.
Branch led the NFL in receiving yards and touchdowns in 1974. He led the league in touchdown catches again in 1976. He left the Raiders and the NFL in 1986 but returned to professional football not too long after, playing for the Los Angeles Cobras of the Arena Football League in 1988.
His football career ended when the Cobras folded after just one season. The team played its games at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena – right next door to the one-time home of the Raiders.
Many who were fortunate enough to see Branch play feel like he should be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. There were several notable wide receivers hailing from that era, but he was one who definitely played the game with class.
