Super Bowl XVIII
January 22, 1984
Tampa Stadium - Tampa, FL
Final Score - Raiders 38 - Redskins 9
In professional sports, there is no single day to match Super Bowl Sunday. The eyes and ears of the entire world, not just the sports world are focused on one stadium, two teams and ninety players.
There was only one original American Football League team that had won a Super Bowl since 1969. The Raiders did it following the 1976 season and they did it again following the 1980 season. Only one team had won Super Bowls under more than one head coach; the Raiders under John Madden in 1977 and Tom Flores in 1981.
Because tradition is so important to the Raider organization, there was a small army of former players in Tampa, Florida for Super Bowl XVIII. They were guests of Al Davis and the Raiders. Hall of Fame members George Blanda and Jim Otto were on hand. There were also great Raiders from the sixties and seventies such as; Clem Daniels, George Atkinson, Dan Conners, Jack Tatum, Kent McCloughan, Pete Banaszak and more.
Marcus Allen Running In The Night
Marcus Allen's famous touchdown run in Superbowl XVIII
It was tradition that helped build this 1983 edition of the Silver and Black. Tampa Stadium was sold-out and as kickoff approached, each player and coach in the Raider dressing room reached inside himself. Dressed in their black jerseys, each man was alone, yet in a group that was closely bound together. For all, this was a dream come true, for some it had started in childhood, and it was about to become a reality.
The AFC Champion Los Angeles Raiders were in black, the NFC Champion Washington Redskins were in white. Tampa Stadium was ablaze with color; burgundy and gold and silver and black.
This was Super Bowl Sunday, the big one, and for all involved there was no tomorrow. In America, being number one is the mark of royalty, and the next three hours would determine who would wear the crown in professional football.
Again, the Raiders were considered the underdogs. They had been considered the underdogs in their two previous Super Bowl victories. The Redskins were the highest scoring team in National Football League history and they had already beaten the Raiders earlier in the season, 37-35, in the season's most exciting game.
But this Raider team was powerful. Twelve of the 22 Raider starters, plus punter Ray Guy and kicker Greg Pruitt, were Pro Bowl selections at least once in their careers with the Raiders. This Raider team was solid, experienced and determined, representing professional sports' most successful organization. Six of these players already owned two Super Bowl rings won as Raiders; Ray Guy, wide receiver Cliff Branch, linebacker Ted Hendricks and offensive linemen Dave Dalby, Henry Lawrence and Steve Sylvester. Seventeen others had earned one Super Bowl ring with earlier Raider World Championship teams.
The Washington Redskins had destroyed the Rams, 51-10, in the NFC Playoff Game. They then held off the 49ers 24-21 to win the NFC Championship Game, earning them their place in the Super Bowl. The Raiders had dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Playoff Game, 38-10. They then defeated the Seattle Seahawks in the AFC Championship Game, 30-14, earning them their place in the Super Bowl.
Kickoff came with the twilight at 4:45 p.m. After five minutes had elapsed on the game clock, the Redskins were forced to punt from their own 30-yard line. For three passes Washington had been probing deep, finding nothing there against Raider corners Mike Haynes and Lester Hayes. With fourth-and-ten, Jeff Hayes took a high snap from center and stepped into his punting routine. The Raider punt rushers were ready and had prepared a special greeting all week long in practice. Derrick Jensen, special teams captain burst through a seam on the right side and blocked the punt. The ball had skid all the way into the front of the end zone with Jensen, Kenny Hill, Odis McKinney and Lester Hayes in hot pursuit. Jensen got there first, covering the ball. The Raiders were ahead for keeps, 7-0.
Early in the second quarter, inside linebacker Matt Millen sacked Washington quarterback Joe Theismann, putting the Redskins in the hole. The Raiders started on their own 35-yard line after the punt. Three plays later they were in touchdown land. Jim Plunkett had pitched a perfect strike to Cliff Branch down the middle for 50 yards. Two plays later, Branch broke into the post from left to right and from 12 yards out. He completely lost his defender and curled down low for a Plunkett pass to increase the Raiders lead to 14-0. Cliff Branch continued as the most proficient pass receiver in post-season games in NFL history.
The Redskins fought back with a long time-consuming drive. Washington was forced to settle for a field goal, when linebacker Rod Martin broke up their third down pass attempt at the Raider seven-yard line. Raiders 14-Redskins 3.
The Raiders came back, marching all the way down to the Washington 39-yard line. With a Ray Guy punt, the Redskins were pinned at their own 12-yard line. First-and-ten on the own 12, and only 12 seconds left in the half. The Raiders remained alert. In the October league game, a screen pass to halfback Joe Washington out of a three wide receiver formation had triggered a winning rally for the Redskins. When Washington Coach Joe Gibbs sent three wides and Joe Washington in, the Raider coaching staff reacted intuitively. Under the direction of defensive coordinator Charley Sumner, Jack Squirek went in with tight man-to-man coverage on Joe Washington.
The three wide receivers went right and Joe Washington went left. There was a big outside pass rush by defensive end Lyle Alzado, forcing quarterback Joe Theismann to place extra loft on his soft lob pass toward Washington, over the outstretched hands of Alzado. Waiting there was Squirek, grabbing the ball on the move and just hopping into the black-painted end zone, the football held high in the air in a scoring salute. The interception and touchdown by Squirek put the Raiders ahead at halftime, 21-3. This set off an explosion of Sliver and Black in the sold-out Tampa Stadium.
With the start of the second half, Washington gallantly fought back. They marched 70 yards to score with a one-yard plunge by future Hall of Fame inductee John Riggins. Raider special teams continued to be a key element in the relentless pursuit of glory. Riader reserve tight end Dan Hasslebeck penetrated sharply, reached high and blocked the extra point.
The Raiders now had 21 points, the Redskins 9. Washington would not score again in the nearly 26 minutes of play that remained in the game.
Although the Raiders had a comfortable lead, Tom Flores gathered his Silver and Black warriors on the sidelines. Flores took the moment and enforced their standard of "commitment to excellence." The Raiders were told not to let up on Washington, and they would be no let up, no way. This game, this season, this league, belonged to the Raiders!
Redskin cornerback Darrell Green was flagged for pass interference on a bomb from Plunkett to speedy wide receiver Malcolm Barnwell. Washington feared the threat of the Raider deep passing attack, causing Green to make the error. The short routes now opened up, and Plunkett started going underneath for completions to Branch, tight end Todd Christensen and fullback Frank Hawkins, moving relentlessly toward the goal. From the Washington five, Marcus Allen skillfully danced free inside and dove into the end zone for another touchdown for the Raiders. This put the Raiders ahead by 19 points, 28-9.
With one minute and thirty-five seconds left in the third quarter, the Raiders only turnover placed the Redskins just 35 yards from the end zone. On fourth-and-one from the Los Angeles 26, John Riggins powered off left tackle, behind the highly publicized blocking of the "Hogs," the Redskins massive front line. When Raider linebacker Rod Martin clogged the off-tackle hole, overpowering the tight end that tried to block him, John Riggins had nowhere to go. Safeties Mike Davis and Vann McElroy rushed in to give support and the Redskins remained one-yard short. The Raiders took possession on their own 26-yard line, and Marcus Allen took from there.
Allen, who started left, went too wide for his blocking and found heavy traffic. Reversing his field, he saw a lane inside and burst free of pursuit. Angling left as he sped downfield, he picked up escort from Branch. Marcus Allen went 74 yards for a then record Super Bowl longest run from scrimmage. That touchdown put the Raiders way out in front, 35-9.
For all practical purposes, Super Bowl XVIII was now history. In the final minutes, Chris Bahr added a 21-yard field goal. Coach Tom Flores cleared the bench, allowing every proud Raider to see action in this masterful, memorable performance. Mike Haynes got an interception and Jeff Barnes and Mike Davis added sacks. As the statistics piled up and the smile grew wider, the roar of the crowd grew louder.
The clock ticked away: five, four, three. With Frank Hawkins running the final sweep, the gun went off. The final score: Raiders 38, the Redskins 9. Again, the Raiders were World Champions of Professional Football. The third time in eight years!
The joyous Raider locker room became still when Al Davis began to speak.
In accepting his third Super Bowl trophy, Owner, Al Davis, appropriately memorialized the team, the organization and the overwhelming triumph.
