SUPER BOWL XV RETROSPECTIVE
1981 - RAIDERS RULE THE NFL --
& BOURBON STREET
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| Kick-off is at 6:00 pm EST. Move away from graphics to photo realism. As always with New Orleans SB games, a nod to the city's jazz heritage. I remember watching this game at my parents house in Traverse City and loving the Raiders rout. |
That's why I was out on the streets," he said. "To make sure no one else was."
-Wisconsin Native & Raiders DE, the late John Matuszak
The
night watchman (from Sex Goes to the Super Bowl on espn.com)
Just after the Raiders arrived in New Orleans for Super Bowl XV, Raider John Matuszak, a veteran of much wisdom, told everyone he'd be laying low before the big game.
"I'm
going to see that there's no funny business," he said. "I've had
enough parties for 20 people's lifetimes. I've grown up. I'll keep our young
fellows out of trouble. If any players want to stray, they gotta go through Ol'
Tooz."
But
on Wednesday night, he was out partying on Bourbon Street. And when he awoke
Thursday morning, he found himself next to a woman he couldn't remember
meeting. And he was late for a scheduled meeting with the press.
.
The
press naturally had some questions when Ol' Tooz limped into the interview room
with bloodshot eyes and a massive case of bedhead. "I'd love to give you
all a blow-by-blow account of the evening," he said, "but it's
basically a blur."
Text from the NY Daily News, 2013 article.
As he sat on the brink of football oblivion in the form of a bench in Oakland, Jim Plunkett couldn’t possibly know he was mere weeks away from the most unlikely rebirth in NFL history. Plunkett seemingly came out of nowhere to lead the Raiders to a 27-10 rout of the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XV. But the road to nowhere had been a long one for Plunkett. A Heisman Trophy winner at Stanford and the first player taken in the 1971 draft, Plunkett had seen his promising career fizzle, first in New England and then with the 49ers.
The Raiders were his last chance in the NFL. And it wasn’t much of a chance. Plunkett didn’t play a down in 1978 then threw just 15 passes the next year sitting behind Ken Stabler. His prospects for 1980 looked even more bleak, if that was possible. The Raiders finally traded Stabler, but it was for Oilers QB Dan Pastorini. On top of that, Oakland drafted BYU’s Marc Wilson in the first round.
The big break, literally, arrived in Week 5. With the Raiders trailing 31-0, Pastorini suffered a broken leg on a hit by Chiefs DT Dino Mangiero. Plunkett didn’t make the most of his first chance in three years, throwing five picks and two TD passes. But coach Tom Flores stuck with him over the green Wilson. Plunkett went 9-2 as the starter for an 11-5 finish and a wild-card berth. The Raiders beat Houston and Cleveland in the playoffs before winning a wild AFC title game over the rival Chargers in San Diego.
Super Bowl XV had a patriotic backdrop as the Iran hostage crisis ended and President Reagan was inaugurated on the same day. The Eagles, who had beaten the Raiders, 10-7, during the season, arrived emotionally spent after a 20-7 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in front of their delirious home fans. Eagles QB Ron Jaworski threw an interception on the third play of the game, the first of a record three INTs on the day for Rod Martin. That set up Plunkett’s two-yard TD pass to Cliff Branch.
On the last play of the quarter, Plunkett, on third-and-4 from his own 20, scrambled to his left and lofted a 20-yard pass just out of the reach of cornerback Herm Edwards and into the hands of Kenny King, who ran the rest of the way for an 80-yard touchdown. It was 14-0 and the Raiders were on their way to becoming the first wild card to win the Super Bowl. Plunkett completed 13 of 21 passes for 261 yards and three TDs to win MVP.
In addition to his three picks, Martin recovered teammate Keith Moody’s fumble on the kickoff after the Eagles got a field goal to make it 14-3 in the second quarter.
The only drama left was in the locker room, where Pete Rozelle had to hand the trophy to Al Davis, who was denied a move to Los Angeles and had sued the NFL. But the two combatants kept it classy.
“This is our finest hour,” Davis said. “This is the finest hour in the history of the Oakland Raiders.”
The Raiders were his last chance in the NFL. And it wasn’t much of a chance. Plunkett didn’t play a down in 1978 then threw just 15 passes the next year sitting behind Ken Stabler. His prospects for 1980 looked even more bleak, if that was possible. The Raiders finally traded Stabler, but it was for Oilers QB Dan Pastorini. On top of that, Oakland drafted BYU’s Marc Wilson in the first round.
The big break, literally, arrived in Week 5. With the Raiders trailing 31-0, Pastorini suffered a broken leg on a hit by Chiefs DT Dino Mangiero. Plunkett didn’t make the most of his first chance in three years, throwing five picks and two TD passes. But coach Tom Flores stuck with him over the green Wilson. Plunkett went 9-2 as the starter for an 11-5 finish and a wild-card berth. The Raiders beat Houston and Cleveland in the playoffs before winning a wild AFC title game over the rival Chargers in San Diego.
On the last play of the quarter, Plunkett, on third-and-4 from his own 20, scrambled to his left and lofted a 20-yard pass just out of the reach of cornerback Herm Edwards and into the hands of Kenny King, who ran the rest of the way for an 80-yard touchdown. It was 14-0 and the Raiders were on their way to becoming the first wild card to win the Super Bowl. Plunkett completed 13 of 21 passes for 261 yards and three TDs to win MVP.
In addition to his three picks, Martin recovered teammate Keith Moody’s fumble on the kickoff after the Eagles got a field goal to make it 14-3 in the second quarter.
The only drama left was in the locker room, where Pete Rozelle had to hand the trophy to Al Davis, who was denied a move to Los Angeles and had sued the NFL. But the two combatants kept it classy.
“This is our finest hour,” Davis said. “This is the finest hour in the history of the Oakland Raiders.”
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