George Buehler Was No Ordinary Raider

Much has been written about guard George Buehler here on Raidets Today, but there is much to say.

The 6-foot-2, 260-pound Buehler, certainly not oversized, was selected by the Raiders in the second round (No. 50 overall) of the 1969 NFL Draft out of Stanford after earlier being selected the CIF Southern Section Player of the Year at Whittier High, was a champion heavyweight wrestler and award-winning shoot-putter before going to Stanford.

Plus, his size did not matter.

“George Buehler has the perfect build for an offensive guard, like a Coke machine with a head on it,” quarterback Kenny “Snake” Stabler. “We have an All-Pro guard on one side of the line, and George was just about as effective on the other side. George is one of the most underrated offensive linemen in the NFL and much of what we do on the offensive line depends on him.”

“For some reason, he just doesn’t get the credit he deserves.”

After being a backup as a rookie, Buehler started eight consecutive seasons for the Silver and Black but did receive the recognition he should have, perhaps because he played on a line that included three future Hall of Famers—center Jim Otto, guard Gene Upshaw and tackle Art Shell.

However, Buehler was part of the 1976 Raiders offensive line that has been selected as the greatest in NFL history in more than one survey.

A brilliant man with a degree from Stanford, Buehler somehow thought he was an underachiever because several other family members were doctors, lawyers, and successful business executives in other high-scale occupations.

However, it didn’t matter on the football field.

When the Raiders routed the Minnesota Vikings, 32-14, in Super Bowl XI, piling up a then-Super Bowl record 429 yards of total offense, Buehler dominated Vikings defensive tackle Doug Sutherland, helping Clarence Davis rush for 137 yards, Mark van Eeghen add 73, and Pete Banaszak run for two short-yardage touchdowns.

In addition, Buehler was a ballhawk for a guard, recovering eight fumbles in his career.

Despite his ability on the field, Buehler sometimes is remembered more for his antics off the field at Raiders training camp at the El Rancho Tropicana Motel in Santa Rosa, Calif.

One year, Buehler brought an unassembled remote-controlled toy tank to training camp and spent the first few days putting it together until it was glued solidly. Then he would stand outside his hotel room and send the tank with the remote controller around the walkway to the Raiders’ office.

Once the tank got to Room 147, the Raiders’ office, Buehler would let public relations assistant Ken Bishop know by walkie-talkie that it was there. Bishop would place Buehler’s mail in the tank and respond into another walkie-talkie: “OK, you’ve got it.”

Then Buehler would turn the tank around on the walkway and guide it back to his room to get his mail.

Another year, Buehler brought a remote-control airplane to training camp and was flying it around the practice field behind the hotel in between workouts during the afternoon when linebacker Ted Hendricks, another Raider with a free-lance personality, shot it down with a gun he used to shoot birds at the back of the El Rancho property.

“You have to understand about George,” Raiders quarterback Jim Plunkett said. “He’s the kind of guy who would be in the huddle and you’d be calling the play and, all of a sudden, he’d look up and watch a plane go by.”

Still, despite his eccentricities off the field, Buehler got the job done and more on the great offensive line in NFL history.

The Raiders' offseason workout schedule is as follows:

OTA Offseason workouts: May 22-23, May 25, May 31-June 2, June 12-15

Mandatory Minicamp: June 6-8

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