RB Davis Was a Star in Two of the Greatest Raiders Games
The Oakland Raiders of the 1970s were definitely a passing team, riding the left arm of quarterback Kenny Stabler, whose leading targets were wide receivers Fred Biletnikoff and Cliff Branch, and tight end Dave Casper.
Once Branch is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August, all four of them will be enshrined in Canton, Ohio.
The Raiders offset this aerial attack with a power running game, led by bruising fullbacks Marv Hubbard and Mark van Eeghen, both from Colgate.
Somehow, 5-10, 195-pound running back Clarence Davis carved himself a role in this offense and was a star in the biggest game of the decade in addition to making the decisive play in one of the Raiders’ famed “Games With Names.”
The Raiders selected Davis in the fourth round (No. 97 overall) of the 1971 NFL Draft after he was an All-American in his senior year at USC.
Davis became a starter in his rookie season with the Raiders, although he rushed for only 321 yards and two touchdowns, in addition to catching 15 passes for 97 yards, although his hands were considered questionable at best. He also returned 27 kickoffs for 734 yards, with a long of 44, and would wind up with 2,140 return yards in his career.
In eight seasons with the Raiders, Davis rushed for 3,640 yards and 26 touchdowns, while catching 99 passes for 865 yards and two touchdowns, with his best season 787 rushing yards and five scores in 1977—which turned out to be his last season a full-time starter.
Davis also had to become a strong blocker since the fullback was the primary running back.
However, in Super Bowl XI to cap the 1976 season, the Raiders surprised the Minnesota Vikings by going against their offensive tendencies and having Van Eeghen lead the way for Davis against the Vikes’ linebacking corps.
Davis followed Van Eeghen for a game-leading 137 yards, a Super Bowl record at the times on 16 carries for an 8.6-yard average and had runs of 20, 35, 13, 18, and 16 yards in the Raiders’ 32-14 victory.
The Raiders piled up a then-Super Bowl record of 429 total offensive yards, and while Davis didn’t score, he helped set two touchdown runs by short-yardage specialist Pete Banaszak.
After Oakland recovered a fumble at its three-yard-line early in what still was a scoreless game, Davis got things rolling with his 35-yard run on third-down-and-seven, which led to a field goal, and more Davis runs to set up Stabler’s one-yard touchdown pass to Casper and the rout was on.
“I was so happy to see Clarence have such a great game, and to see Rooster (Banaszak) score those two touchdowns,” Stabler said afterward. “We got contributions from players throughout the roster, and that’s what it takes to win.”
Other than Super Bowl XI, the highlight of Davis’ career was the game known famously as the “Sea of Hands.”
And the hands that made the difference were Davis’ supposedly bad hands.
In a 1974 AFC Division Playoff game at the Oakland Coliseum, the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins held a 26-21 lead over the Raiders in the final minute when the Raiders reached the Miami eight-yard-line.
However, it appeared that Stabler was about to be sacked by Dolphins defensive end Vern Den Herder before throwing a desperation pass toward Davis in the left corner of the end zone.
With those famously bad hands, Davis was surrounded by three Dolphins but somehow fought them all off to catch the pass for a touchdown with 25 seconds left in the game and the Raiders pulled off a 28-26 upset.
“Clarence Davis couldn’t catch a cold, but he makes the big catch to win it in the last 30 seconds,” flustered defensive tackle Manny Fernandez of the Dolphins said. “It was probably the only catch he ever made in his career.”
Well not exactly, but it certainly was Davis’ most famous reception.
Sportswriter Dave Newhouse of the Oakland Tribune wrote that Davis made the catch in a “sea of hands,” and the name stuck, just like the ball to Davis’ hands.
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