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
Lincoln Kennedy (1996-2003)
Lincoln Kennedy may not have been the player the Atlanta Falcons were hoping he would be when they selected him No. 9 overall in 1993, but once he put on the Silver and Black, he became all of that and more. Kennedy dominated for the franchise for eight seasons, becoming an anchor along an offensive line that would bring the franchise back to their winning ways.
From 1996 through the 2003 NFL season, Kennedy missed only a handful of games from his right tackle position. He became one of the best in the game during the early 2000s, when the Raiders were making their way back to the top of the AFC, being named to three straight Pro Bowl from 2000 through 2002.
A two-time All Pro in Oakland, Kennedy and his fellow offensive line mates led the Raiders to a berth in Super Bowl XXXVII, where they were obviously trounced by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Still, he was well worth the trade of a fifth round pick to the Falcons, and continued a long line of dominating players to wear No. 72 with the Raiders.