Jersey No. 72 has been kind to the Raiders franchise through the years
By Brad Weiss
Jersey No. 72 has been kind to the Raiders franchise through the years
Don Mosebar (1983-1994)
The Raiders were fresh off an 8-1 regular season and a spot in the playoffs during the strike-shortended 1982 campaign when they selected Don Mosebar with the No. 26 overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft. Selected right before two Hall of Famers in Dan Marino (Miami) and Darrell Green (Washington), Mosebar would go on to have himself a solid career wearing the Silver and Black.
In his rookie season, Mosebar won a Super Bowl with the Raiders, appearing in 14 games, but making zero starts. He would move his way into the starting lineup in 1984, and from there, would become a constant along the Raiders offensive line for the next decade.
A three-time Pro Bowler, Mosebar appeared in every game over his last five seasons in the NFL, and helped pave the way for running backs like Marcus Allen and Bo Jackson from his center position. Mosebar followed a short list of Raiders centers, becoming only the third in team history behind Jim Otto and Dave Dalby, and while he did not end up in the Hall of Fame, he is certainly one of the best to ever do it in franchise history.
Sadly, Mosebar’s career ended in tragedy, as he suffered a career-ending eye injury in training camp. The injury forced the removal of his left eye.