DE Cline Wasn't Quite Immaculate

Tony Cline only played for five season wearing the Silver and Black, but it doesn't mean he didn't impact the Raiders organization in a big way.

Unfortunately, defensive end Tony Cline played only five seasons with the Oakland Raiders, perhaps because a knee injury slowed him down late in his career.

The 6-3, the Raiders selected 250-pound Cline in the fourth round (No. 102 overall) or the 1970 National Football League draft out of the University of Miami (Fla.), and because3 an instant star.

Cline has as good a rookie year as any defensive end has ever had, making 58 tackles and a rookie 17½ sacks. Only Bubba Baker of the 1978 Lions has had more in his rookie season with 23.

Official records for sacks were not computed then, so the official mark is 14.5, held by Jevon Kearse of the Tennessee Titans in 1999 and followed by Aldon Smith of the San Francisco 49ers with 14.0 in 2011.

However, neither was a match for Cline.

“Tony was one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL at that time,” Hall of Fame Coach John Madden of the Raiders recalled. “He had such great take-off at the snap and real speed to get around the corner into the backfield.

“Then, if they were waiting for him, Tony could cut back and get there from the inside. They never knew where he was coming from.”

Said Raiders defensive end Horace Jones: “It was great playing on the other side of the line from

Tony, because defenses had to be aware of so many things that he could do, it opened up a lot of things for me. We were a great team.”

Unfortunately, Cline and Jones were involved in probably the most infamous play in Raiders' history.

In the final minutes of a 1972 AFC Divisional playoff game at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Raiders quarterback Kenny Stabler ran 30 yards for a touchdown to give Oakland a 7-3 lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

On the next series, the Raiders had the Steelers in fourth and long with 22 seconds remaining when Cline and Jones chased quarterback Terry Bradshaw out of the pocket, but they could not tackle him.

Bradshaw got off a desperation pass downfield in the direction of running back John “Frenchy” Fuqua, who was being covered by hard-hitting safety Jack Tatum of the Raiders, who plowed into Fuqua.

Whatever you want to say about that, legal or illegal, the ball ricocheted up the field to Steelers running back Franco Harris, who scooped the ball out of the air right before it hit the ground and took it for a 60-yard touchdown to give the Steelers an incredible 10-3 victory.

And there you have the play that forever will be known as “The Immaculate Reception,” to the disdain of the Raiders.

“I just wish we could have gotten Bradshaw.”

Cline started 57 of the 72 games he played for the Raiders over six seasons, and while once again, we don’t know how many tackles he made because they were not yet an official NFL statistic, he had 48 sacks, three pass interceptions, and three fumble recoveries.

After being waived by the Raiders in 1976, Cline signed with the San Francisco 49ers, and while he played sparingly in the next two seasons before retiring, he added two sacks 5o finish his career with 50.

Cline passed away at the age of 69 on July 23, 2018.

“The Raiders are saddened by the passing of Tony Cline. Cline, a standout defensive end for the Silver and Black from 1970-75, will be missed dearly by the Raiders family. The thoughts and prayers of the Raider Nation are with the Cline’s family at this time,” the team wrote in a post.

Cline’s son Tony Cline Jr. played tight end for the Buffalo Bills, the Steelers, and the 49ers from 1995-1999.

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