LB Hall Was Super for the 1976 Raiders
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Linebacker Willie Hall played only four seasons with the Oakland Raiders, but he made them count, especially in 1976.
The 6-2, 223-pound Hall was selected in the second round (No. 31 overall) of the 1972 NFL Draft out of USC by the New Orleans Saints but played only nine games in two seasons in part because of injuries before being released.
After sitting out the 1974 season, Hall signed with the Raiders the next year and played seven games in a backup role. However, early in 1976 defensive linemen Art Thoms, Horace Jones, and Tony Cline were knocked out for the season because of injuries and Coach John Madden switched to a 3-4 defense.
Hall was inserted into the starting lineup at right inside linebacker and did he take advantage of it.
While tackles were not an official statistic in those days, Hall made more than his share, had four sacks, and intercepted two passes while playing in all 14 regular season games as the Raiders went 13-1 and ran away with the AFC West title.
However, Hall and the Raiders saved their best for the post-season.
The Raiders reversed their only loss of the season, 48-17, to the New England Patriots by pulling out a 24-21 victory at the Oakland Coliseum on quarterback Kenny Stabler’s one-yard touchdown run with 14 seconds remaining.
Oakland’s rally from a 21-10 deficit was made possible because Hall recovered a fumble by fullback Sam Cunningham.
Again, Hall and the Raiders only got better.
One week later in the AFC Championship game at the Coliseum, Hall was all over the field once more and intercepted a pass by quarterback Terry Bradshaw and returned it 25 yards to the Pittsburgh one-yard-line, from were running back Clarence Davis scored to give the Raiders a 10-0 lead.
Running backs Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier of the Steelers missed the game because of injuries, so the Steelers had to go with Reggie Harrison and John “Frenchy” Fuqua, and managed only 72 yards rushing as the Raiders rolled to a 24-7 victory.
The Steelers claimed things would have been different with Harris and Bleier, but Hall said after the game: “It didn’t matter who they had in there, because there was nowhere to run. Our defense just stepped up.”
The capper came in Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
Early in the game, Raiders punter Ray Guy had a punt blocked for the first time in his career by linebacker Fred O’Neill and the Vikings took over at Oakland’s three-yard line with a chance to make the first score of the game.
However, on second down, running back Brent McClanahan fumbled when hit by linebacker Phil Villapiano and Hall recovered at the six-yard line. Davis ran 35 yards on the next playing leading to a 24-yard field goal by Errol Mann for a 3-0 lead and the Raiders never trailed.
Stabler threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Fred Biletnikoff, Banaszak scored on a one-yard run and Mann kicked a 40-yard field goal and the Raiders held a 19-7 lead when quarterback Fran Tarkenton was driving the Vikings toward a touchdown that would have closed the gap.
However, Hall stepped in front of wide receiver Ahmad Rashad and intercepted Tarkenton’s pass, and returned it 16 yards, leading to Stabler’s 48-yard pass to Biletnikoff and Banaszak’s two-yard touchdown run that gave the Raiders a 26-7 lead early in the fourth quarter.
“The other halfback was my man, but I saw Tarkenton look to the inside and that’s where I went,” said Hall, who had three unassisted tackles in the game. “I don’t think he saw me coming. He just threw it, and I was there.”
Hall of Fame cornerback Willie Brown also was there when Tarkenton threw a sideline pass late in the game and Brown picked if off and went 75 yards for a touchdown that was the icing on the cake in the Raiders’ 32-14 victory over the favored Vikings.
Biletnikoff was selected the game’s Most Valuable Player with four receptions for 79 yards, including three to inside the two-yard line to set up touchdowns, but others thought Stabler could have been the MVP and Hall also got some votes.
“I’m so proud of the way our offense played,” said Stabler, who completed 12-of-19 passes for 180 yards and guided an offense that produced 429 yards. “But our defense was outstanding too, and Willie Hall made big plays again as he did throughout the playoffs.”
Hall played two more solid seasons for the Raiders, but nothing could top 1976.
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