1976 squad named best Raiders team of the Super Bowl era
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders franchise has captured three Super Bowl championships, but one team was recently ranked the best in the history of the organization.
Since becoming a professional football franchise in 1960, the Raiders have had some magical seasons, Hall of Fame players and personnel, and have seen their fan base grow from all corners of the world. During that time, they have won three Super Bowl titles, and while they have not been to the playoffs on a regular basis for the last 20 years, they still are one of the more iconic franchises in all of sports.
Bryan DeArdo put together a solid piece naming the best team for each franchise during the Super Bowl era, and it was the first Raiders Super Bowl championship team that got the nod.
1976 team captured Raiders first Super Bowl title
As DeArdo states in the piece, the 1976 team was special because the organization was finally able to get the monkey off of their back. After losing in the previous three AFC title games, the Raiders were able to get past the Pittsburgh Steelers to clinch their place in the Super Bowl, a team that had beaten them in the previous two AFC Championship Games.
That was a special Steelers team, one that had won the previous two Super Bowls, so the 1976 Raiders had a ton of confidence heading into their matchup with the Minnesota Vikings. Led by the coolest Raider of them all in Ken Stabler, the Silver and Black trounced the Vikings in Super Bowl XI by the score of 32-14, with Fred Biletnikoff taking home Most Valuable Player honors.