Little Man Branch Was a Big Pick for the Raiders
The Oakland Raiders made quite the catch when they selected speedy wide receiver Cliff Branch out of Colorado in the fourth round, with the No. 98 overall pick, in the 1972 National Football League Draft.
The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Branch was strictly a deep threat in college with the Buffaloes, who sent him deep on virtually every play to open up the defense. With the Raiders, Branch would become a complete wide receiver under fellow wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff, the master of his craft.
“I didn’t realize it until I got there, but the Raiders were the perfect team for me because of Freddie,” said Branch, who didn’t have the best hands for a wide receiver, but Biletnikoff taught him drills that even made him better in that area.
“As it turned out, I didn’t really know much about being a wide receiver, but Freddie took his time to teach me everything about how to go about it, from the moves to the angles, to how to get open against any type of defense.”
Branch was one of the fastest sprinters in the world but passed up a chance to qualify for the United States team and run in the Summer Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. That was because he wanted to be with the Raiders at the start of training camp at the El Rancho Motel in Santa Rosa, Calif., 60 miles North of Oakland.
That paid off big time for Branch and the Raiders.
The Raiders had selected All-American wide receiver Mike Siani of Villanova with the 21st overall pick of the first round in that year’s NFL Draft. Still, Siani wasn’t there for the start of training camp because he was in Chicago playing in the College All-Star Game, which in those days was held late in the Summer.
By the time Siani got to Raiders training camp at the El Rancho, Branch had established himself as the starting wide receiver opposite Biletnikoff, which gave the Silver and Black two future Hall of Famers on the outside.
“It was just amazing to have those two guys as my wide receivers, and when we went with our three-wide receiver set, Mike Siani as another top-level guy,” future Hall of Fame quarterback Kenny “Snake” Stabler said.
Cliff Branch is one of the greatest Las Vgas Raiders of All Time.
© Malcolm Emmons | 1974 Dec 29
“And then we had (yet another future Hall of Famer) Dave Casper at tight end, so I could hardly go wrong. There were plays when several of them were open and I had to make the decision as to which one to throw to. Those guys made by job easy.”
In 14 seasons with the Raiders, Branch made 501 receptions for 8,685 yards for an average of 17.3 yards per catch, with 67 touchdowns in 183 regular-season games. He was selected first-team All-Pro three times, to four Pro Bowls, and is one of four players who started for the Raiders each time as they won Super Bowls XI, XV, and XVIII.
One of those touchdowns was a 99-yarder against the Washington Redskins (now Commanders), which forever will be tied for the longest scoring pass in NFL history.
In addition, Branch set NFL post-season records of 73 receptions for 1,289 yards, an average of 17.7 yards per catch, and scored five touchdowns. Those records held until Jerry Rice of the San Francisco 49ers came along, and Branch’s playoff numbers still rank sixth all-time.
One corner, or the North end zone at the Oakland Coliseum, was known as “Cliff’s Corner” for all the touchdowns he scored there, and fans had a sign for Branch there every game that read “Speed Kills.”
Sadly, Branch passed away in 2019 at 71 before he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, three years later.
“Cliff was just this small guy who could run like a deer,” said Raiders owner Mark Davis when he presented him for induction into the Hall of Fame. “In his first couple years, he couldn’t catch a football very well, but over the years, Cliff became one of the most respected wide receivers in professional football.”
The current Raiders have Davante Adams, perhaps the best wide receiver in the NFL, and last season, Jakobi Meyers signed with the Raiders as a free agent after playing four years with the New England Patriots and had a strong season opposite Adams.
Raider Nation hopes Adams and Meyers can give the Las Vegas Raiders something close to what Branch and Biletnikoff did for all those years.
From February 27 to March 4, 2024, the NFL Scouting Combine will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.
The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick.
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