Raiders Royalty Fred Biletnikoff: Super Bowl XI MVP
Hall of Fame wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff is somehow slightly overlooked in discussions about the greatest players for the Las Vegas-Oakland-Los Angeles Raiders in their storied 54-year history.
That’s most likely because Biletnikoff played alongside other Hall of Famers, including quarterback Kenny “Snake” Stabler, wide receiver Cliff Branch, tight end Dave Casper, tackle Art Shell, guard Gene Upshaw, and center Jim Otto on what probably was the best offense in National Football League history.
Biletnikoff was not very big or fast, but he had great moves and could get open virtually anywhere. Because he was so good in the short game, defenses played him up close, which meant he could make a move and then get open for a big gain down the field.
The Minnesota Vikings were so concerned with the speedy Branch in Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., that they double- and triple-covered him all over the field.
That opened up the field for running back Clarence Davis to rush for 137 yards and for Stabler to hit Biletnikoff on four passes on four passes for 79 yards, three that went to inside the two-yard-line to set up two touchdown runs by short-yardage specialist Pete Banaszak and a one-yard scoring pass from Stabler to Casper.
Biletnikoff was selected the game’s Most Valuable Player after the Raiders' 32-14 victory, but said: “Snake probably could have been the MVP.”
Stabler passed for 180 yards and the touchdown while calling a perfect game, much of it at the line of scrimmage, where he would take a look at the Minnesota defense and then go with a play that would attack a vulnerable area.
“I’m just so happy that Freddie, Clarence, and Rooster (Banaszak) had such good games,” said Stabler, who was simply glad to finally earn that elusive Super Bowl ring. “Freddie is so reliable out there, you can always count on him. He always there where he is supposed to be when you need him.”
Said Biletnikoff: “There were so many times we had a chance to win championship games and go to the Super Bowl, but it seems that every time during whatever game there was something that went against us. It was frustrating at times and disappointing. We had great enough teams to be able to just keep coming back every year and knock on the door, and we finally did it.
“That year, we had a veteran team, a lot of Hall of Famers plus a lot of guys who should be in the Hall of Fame. … Our focus was getting to the end of the year and getting to the Super Bowl, which obviously we did. We were just a great team, offense, defense, special teams and had great players on all three of those units.
“I was surprised to be named MVP. Anybody could have been named MVP. You look at Clarence’s performance, the offensive line’s performance, Dave Dalby’s performance, the defenses performance, Kenny’s performance. If it was up to me, I would have made Kenny MVP.”
Biletnikoff was selected by the Raiders in the second round of the 1965 American Football Draft (No. 11 overall) out of Florida State and made 589 receptions, ranking second in franchise history behind Tim Brown’s 1,070, for 8.974 yards and 76 touchdowns in his 14-year NFL career.
In addition, Biletnikoff was a consensus All-American in 1964 at Florida State, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, a two-time AFL All-Star, a 1969 All-AFL pick and a first-team All-Pro selection in 1972.
Biletnikoff was listed at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, and while he wasn’t nearly that big, he played much bigger.
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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