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Number Crunching: #25
by Chris Brophy
April 8th 2010
So here we are, a quarter of the way through the process and we arrive at a number that is filled with a couple of Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receivers and a couple of versatile running backs as well as one of the best kickers of the 60’s and 70’s. In the end though the committee (ok, that’s a committee of one…..me!) decided that one of the game’s best receivers and a Super Bowl hero should get the nod. Read on to find out who it is and all about him:
FD’s All Time #25: Fred Biletnikoff, Wide Receiver (Oakland Raiders)
 Fred Biletnikoff is a player who just had it. You can’t always explain it but when you look at the scruffy Raiders wide receiver you wonder how he could have been any good but he was more than just good, he was one of the best!
The son of Russian immigrants, Biletnikoff made his mark in his home town of Erie, Pennsylvania where he attended Technical Memorial High School. As the biggest product in the school’s history they now play on a field named in his honour. His family would later relocate to Panama City in Florida and he would eventually go to play his college ball in the state for Florida State and he would become their first ever consensus All-American.
At Florida State, he would play both ways his first two seasons but as his career went on and the roster and rules saw the expansion of specializing he became an offensive player. It’s hard to appreciate now but what you need to understand is how big a hero Biletnikoff was on campus. He was famed for his game winning touchdowns that brought the team success and when injured, students would stand outside his window singing get well Freddie. His performance against Oklahoma in the 1964 Gator Bowl is the stuff of legend as he had 13 catches for 192 yards and 4TD’s to help his team win 36-19. In 1994 he had the award for the nation’s best wide receiver named after him and it is awarded annually to the college games best pass catchers. Current stars such as Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald and Calvin Johnson have been named winners of this prestigious award.
After College Freddie B as he was known, had a choice to make. He had been chosen by two professional teams in two different leagues. The Oakland Raiders of the AFL had selected him in the 2nd round of their league draft and the Detroit Lions of the NFL had picked him in the 3rd round of their respective draft. He selected the Raiders in part because the AFL was a more open offensively minded league that would enable him to stand out more.
As a rookie he had to bide his time and contribute on special teams but his wait wasn’t too long. In the Raiders seventh game of his rookie season against the Patriots he helped secure a 30-21 victory with 7 catches for 118 yards. He would remain a starter the rest of his career.
In his third season 1967 he would grab 40 passes for 876 yards and five scores, an average per catch of just less than 22 yards. It would be the start of ten straight seasons of 40 catches of more. The following year he would record his lone 1000 yard season (in those days a huge feat due to less games in a season and the game not as pass-friendly as it is today) as he took 61 receptions for 1037 yards with six scores. In 1969 he would have 12 TD receptions for the season and in 1971 he would match his career season high of 1968 with another 61 catch season though this time he only managed to record 929 yards to go with it with nine scores.
With the Raiders always been a competitive franchise during Bilenikoff’s tenure with the team it is post season where you will find some of his greatest games. In the 1968 AFC divisional play-off against the Chiefs he tore the Chiefs secondary to shreds with a 7 catch, 180 yard and 3 touchdown performance. The following week the Raiders would lose to the Jets but Bilenikoff actually increased his production with another 7 catch game, gaining 190 yards this time although only the solitary trip to the end zone. In the ’69 play-offs he scored two touchdowns off just three receptions in a 56-7 battering of the Houston Oilers. In 1974, when facing a Miami Dolphins team chasing a third straight world championship he helped put them to the sword with a 122 yard game from 8 catches and a crucial touchdown.
However, it was the 1976 season that would be the icing on Bilenikoff’s career cake. The 33 year old was getting close to the end of his career now but he was still a vital part of the Raiders passing game. After a 13-1 regular season the Raiders first faced the Patriots in the divisional play-off and just like he did in his first ever start as a rookie, Bilenikoff helped win the game with 9 catches for 137 yards and the Raiders opening TD of the game. The following week the Raiders faced their old nemesis – the Pittsburgh Steelers a team that had made it a habit of denying the Raiders in post season. However, Bilenikoff could take a back seat in this game as the Raiders played a ball control game only throwing 16 passes for less than 100 yards in a 24-7 victory.
That would take the Raiders to the Super Bowl for the second time in their history as they faced the Minnesota Vikings. Bilenikoff would have a game to remember with 4 receptions for 79 yards. That doesn’t sound like a game-breaking performance but every Bilenikoff catch was crucial to the Raiders success. His first catch was a 9 yard grab in a drive that ended in a punt but his second grab came with the Raiders leading 3-0 in the 2nd quarter and at the Vikings 6 yard line facing 3rd and 3. Raiders QB Ken Stabler hit Bilenikoff on the right sideline for 5 yards to the one yard line and it set up a one yard TD pass from Stabler to tight end Dave Casper for a 10-0 lead. That five yard catch was the difference between a one or two score lead. His third grab was a 17 yard strike from Stabler again to the one yard line of the Vikings where he made a leaping snatch in front on a Vikings defender, setting up a Pete Banaszak one yard run.
His fourth and final grab was his best though. The Vikings had come out in the second half and scored a touchdown and were threatening a comeback as the Raiders had gotten a little flat with the Vikings defence getting to Stabler several times. Entering the fourth quarter the Raiders defense had again managed to snuff out a dangerous Vikings drive with an interception but the Raiders offense again looked like it was limping and now faced a crucial 3rd and 6 at midfield. Stabler went to his most trusted receiver and Bilenkoff made the grab for the first down and then set off towards the end zone only been stopped two yards short. It didn’t matter as the Vikings were broken by that play and Banaszak jumped into the end zone for his second score and even though Willie Brown (he got a mention in our number 24 article) would then score with an interception return Bilenikoff’s catch had done the damage. It was recognised in his MVP award.
Bilenikoff would go on for another couple of seasons before retiring after the 1978 season. He would make a comeback of sorts in 1980 with the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes before he went on to become a coach. His coaching career would see several stops before he returned home to the Raiders where he would spend until 2007 as receivers coach. In the regular season he caught 589 passes for 8974 yards and 76 touchdowns. His post season career marks of 70 receptions for 1167 yards and 10 TD’s in 19 games was an NFL record at the time of his retirement.
Biletnikoff was famed for his use of stickem’ but don’t let that detract from the fact he had superb hands. He would often come up with the clutch catch that would move the chains or get the Raiders a vital score and his speed was deceptive as he could get downfield when needed. His natural feel for the game might have been his best asset though as he would find ways to escape tight coverage with subtle moves and shakes.
In Fred Bilenikoff, the Raiders found a player who knew how to perform consistently but when it really matter, he could be turned to and expected to make a play that would bring success. The Raiders have a saying Commitment to Excellence and its players like Bilenikoff that can be pointed to as the embodiment of that saying.
Honourable Mentions
Bilenikoff’s closest challenger for the honour of FD’s All-Time number 25 was another wide receiver in the shape of former Eagles great Tommy McDonald. A member of the Eagles 1960 NFL Championship team he once led the league in receiving yards (1960) and twice led the league in touchdown receptions (1958 & 1960). When he finished his career he had 84 touchdowns, the second highest total at the time and he was the last non-kicker to play without a facemask. He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.
Two versatile backs also get a mention. The first is Joe Washington who was one of the best receiving backs of the 70’s and 80’s. He started his career in San Diego with the Chargers but was traded to the Colts where he enjoyed three very productive seasons including leading the league in receptions in 1979. His Monday Night game against the Patriots is well remembered when he had a hand in three touchdowns and returned a kick-off 90 yards for the game winning score (breaking a 27-27 deadlock). He went on to play for the Redskins and was a vital member of the Super Bowl XVII & XVIII rosters.
Charlie Garner enjoyed a very good career over the 90’s and 00’s and with over 7000 yards rushing and over 400 receptions he was an extremely versatile threat. His best two years rushing came with the 49ers in 1999 and 2000 and in terms of receptions he enjoyed a 91 catch season with the Raiders in 2002. He started his career in Philly with the Eagles and finished it in 2004 with the Buccaneers.
Jim Bakken was the kicker for the NFL’s 1960’s and 1970’s All-Decade teams and enjoyed 17 seasons in the NFL all spent with the St Louis Cardinals. He might be one of the few kickers from NFL history with a reasonable Hall of Fame argument. He set an NFL record with seven field goals in a game (from nine attempts) in 1967 and whilst this was matched three times it was only broken in 2008 by Titans kicker Rob Bironas.
Learn More about past NFL greats in our History Archive
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