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1968 Oakland Raiders season

AFL team season

Field	Value
team	Oakland Raiders
year	1968
record	12–2
division_place	1st AFL Western
owner	F. Wayne Valley
general manager	Al Davis
coach	John Rauch
stadium	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum
playoffs	Won [Divisional Playoffs](1968-american-football-league-playoffs)
(vs. [Chiefs](1968-kansas-city-chiefs-season)) 41–6
Lost [AFL Championship](1968-american-football-league-championship-game)
(at [Jets](1968-new-york-jets-season)) 23–27
shortnavlink	Raiders seasons

(vs. Chiefs) 41–6 Lost AFL Championship (at Jets) 23–27 The 1968 Oakland Raiders season was the Raiders' ninth season in both Oakland and the American Football League. It saw the team try to improve upon its 13–1 record from 1967. They ultimately finished one game short of matching that year's result; their 12–2 finish still ensured that they would lead the league in wins for a second consecutive year. Led by third-year head coach John Rauch, they tied with Kansas City for the division title, which was settled by an unscheduled tiebreaker playoff, won 41–6 by the Raiders in Oakland.

The season featured a growing rivalry between the Raiders and the New York Jets, led by fourth-year superstar quarterback Joe Namath. The teams met twice in 1968: the first was on November 17 in Oakland, which saw the Raiders complete a stunning fourth-quarter comeback over the Jets, scoring two touchdowns in nine seconds. Known today as the Heidi Game, it remains one of the most famous in AFL/NFL history. They paired up six weeks later in the AFL Championship Game in New York, where Namath's Jets emerged victorious in a 27–23 upset on December 29. Two weeks later, the Jets upset the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.

The 1968 season is also notable for a few changes to the team including the additions of George Atkinson, Art Shell, and Ken Stabler. All three won a championship with the Raiders eight years later in Super Bowl XI. Additionally, Shell in 1989, and Stabler in 2016, were both inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Offseason

NFL/AFL draft

Main article: 1968 NFL/AFL draft

Personnel

Staff / Coaches

Majority Co-Owner - F. Wayne Valley
Minority Co-Owner/General Manager - Al Davis
Minority Co-Owner: Ed McGah
President of the General Partner / General Manager – Al Davis
Senior Executive – John Herrera
Head coach – John Rauch
Offensive Backs – John Polonchek
Tight ends – Bill Meyers
Offensive line – Ollie Spencer
Defensive line – Tom Dahms
Linebackers – John Madden
Defensive backs – Charlie Sumner
Special teams – John Rauch
Strength and Conditioning - Marv Marinovich

:Source:

Roster

Al Dotson DT

Schedule

Main article: 1968 American Football League season

Oakland Raiders	year=1968	border=2}}"	Week	Oakland Raiders	year=1968	border=2}}"
Bye
September 15	at [Buffalo Bills](1968-buffalo-bills-season)	W 48–6	1–0	War Memorial Stadium	43,057	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196809150buf.htm)
	at [Miami Dolphins](1968-miami-dolphins-season)	W 47–21	2–0	Miami Orange Bowl	30,021	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196809210mia.htm)
September 29	at [Houston Oilers](1968-houston-oilers-season)	W 24–15	3–0	Houston Astrodome	46,098	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196809290oti.htm)
October 6	[Boston Patriots](1968-boston-patriots-season)	W 41–10	4–0	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	44,253	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196810060rai.htm)
October 13	[San Diego Chargers](1968-san-diego-chargers-season)	L 14–23	4–1	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	53,257	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196810130rai.htm)
October 20	at [Kansas City Chiefs](1968-kansas-city-chiefs-season)	L 10–24	4–2	Municipal Stadium	50,015	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196810200kan.htm)
October 27	[Cincinnati Bengals](1968-cincinnati-bengals-season)	W 31–10	5–2	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	37,083	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196810270rai.htm)
November 3	Kansas City Chiefs	W 38–21	6–2	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	53,357	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196811030rai.htm)
November 10	at [Denver Broncos](1968-denver-broncos-season)	W 43–7	7–2	Mile High Stadium	50,002	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196811100den.htm)
November 17	[New York Jets](1968-new-york-jets-season)	W 43–32	8–2	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	53,118	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196811170rai.htm)
November 24	at Cincinnati Bengals	W 34–0	9–2	Nippert Stadium	27,116	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196811240cin.htm)
November 28	Buffalo Bills	W 13–10	10–2	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	39,883	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196811280rai.htm)
December 8	Denver Broncos	W 33–27	11–2	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	47,754	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196812080rai.htm)
December 15	at San Diego Chargers	W 34–27	12–2	San Diego Stadium	40,698	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196812150sdg.htm)
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Saturday night (September 21), Thursday (November 28: Thanksgiving)

Postseason

Main article: 1968 American Football League playoffs

Oakland Raiders	year=1968	border=2}}"	Round	Oakland Raiders	year=1968	border=2}}"	Date	Oakland Raiders	year=1968	border=2}}"	Opponent	Oakland Raiders	year=1968	border=2}}"	Result	Oakland Raiders	year=1968	border=2}}"	Venue	Oakland Raiders	year=1968	border=2}}"	Attendance	Oakland Raiders	year=1968	border=2}}"	Recap	[Divisional](1968-american-football-league-playoffs)	[AFL Championship](1968-american-football-league-championship-game)
December 22	[Kansas City Chiefs](1968-kansas-city-chiefs-season)	W 41–6	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	53,357	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196812220rai.htm)
December 29	at [New York Jets](1968-new-york-jets-season)	L 23–27	Shea Stadium	62,627	[Recap](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196812290nyj.htm)

Standings

Game summaries

Week 11 vs. Jets

Main article: The Heidi Game

;Jets

Joe Namath 19/37, 381 Yds, TD
Matt Snell 21 Rush, 46 Yds
Don Maynard 10 Rec, 228 Yds, TD ;Raiders
Daryle Lamonica 21/34, 311 Yds, 4 TD, 2 INT
Hewritt Dixon 4 Rush, 75 Yds
Fred Biletnikoff 7 Rec, 120 Yds, TD

Week 12 vs. Bills

;Bills

Ed Rutkowski 10/25, 160 Yds, 2 INT
Max Anderson 11 Rush, 60 Yds, TD 2 Rec, 31 Yds ;Raiders
Daryle Lamonica 12/32, 145 Yds, INT
Charlie Smith 12 Rush, 54 Yds
Warren Wells 3 Rec, 61 Yds

References

(December 16, 1968). "Bird's big theft propels Oakland". Lawrence Daily Journal-World.
(December 16, 1968). "Chiefs resume practice". Lawrence Daily Journal-World.
(December 23, 1968). "Collier, Ewbank throw bouquets at Colts, Raiders". Lawrence Daily Journal-World.
(November 18, 1968). "Raiders stun Jets with nine-second blitz". Eugene Register-Guard.
(November 18, 1968). "Heidi upstages pro football". Eugene Register-Guard.
Chass, Murray. (December 30, 1968). "Super Bowl stage set as Baltimore, New York win: Weeb captures 3rd grid title". Eugene Register-Guard.
https://www.profootballarchives.com/1968afloak.html

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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