Arguably one of the fastest players in NFL history is the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders' Cliff Branch. But he was so much more than just "fast", he really worked at honing his skills as a complete receiver and soaked in as much as he could from the mentors in his life. This is his story.
The Early Years
Cliff Branch was born on August 1, 1948 in Houston, Texas. He starred on the gridiron and track at Worthing High School, setting a Prairie View Interscholastic League record by running the 100-yard dash in 9.3 seconds as a junior. After winning the state 220 title in 22.1 seconds and earning honorable mention All-State as a senior, Cliff Branch went to Wharton Junior College where he continued to pursue both sports.
While there, he won the national junior college championship in both the 100 and 200 yard dash before transferring to the University of Colorado. He was primarily used as a kick returner in Boulder, catching just 33 passes and three touchdowns in two years. Still, he did enough to help the team beat both #6 LSU and #9 Ohio State early in his senior year. The Buffalos even had a shot at the national championship that year, but were soundly beaten by conference rivals and the top two teams in the nation Oklahoma and Nebraska. Despite the disappointment, the Buffalos still finished the year higher in the AP polls than they had ever been before, third in the nation.
Later that year, he set the NCAA record with a 10 second 100 meter sprint at the national semifinals. In comparison, Bob Hayes, widely known as the world's fastest man as well as a good pro receiver in his own right, won Gold in the 1964 Olympics with a a 10.06 time. Cliff Branch's college career ended in a fifth place finish in the national finals.
With his college career finished, Branch had a decision to make: the Olympics or the NFL. Seeing a brighter future on the gridiron, Cliff Branch signed with the Oakland Raiders, who had just drafted him in the 4th round of the 1972 NFL Draft. He would soon learn that it takes much more than just speed to survive in the NFL.
The Raiders
Cliff Branch struggled his first year in the NFL, catching just three passes for 41 yards. Fellow receiver Fred Biletnikoff saw potential in the young speedster and refused to let him waste his natural talent. For the next two years, Branch hung on to Biletnikoff, gleaning the wisdom that the great receiver had garnered from seven previous years in professional football. In his spare time, he worked on the speed bag and played ping pong to hone his hand-eye coordination and worked relentlessly on his route running.
Within two years, Cliff Branch had blossomed into the game's best receiver. In 1974, he led the NFL in receiving yards (1,092) and touchdowns (13), demonstrating a dangerous connection with quarterback Ken Stabler every Sunday while earning first-team All-Pro honors and his first Pro Bowl invitation.
By the time the Raiders reached the AFC Championship Game, they were rolling. Just the week before, Branch had given his teammates a late lead over the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins by catching a 72-yard touchdown pass. The game was far from over though, and wasn't decided until Clarence Davis caught Stabler's pass amidst a sea of hands in the end zone.
The Raiders fought hard in the AFC title game and Cliff Branch played well, catching nine passes for 186 yards and a critical 38-yard touchdown in the third quarter. But despite having the league MVP at quarterback and the best receiver in the game, the Raiders couldn't prevail against the dynasty-bound Steelers, losing 24-13.
Cliff Branch didn't lead the league in any category the next year, but was still named first-team All-Pro and invited to his second Pro Bowl after catching 51 passes for 893 yards and nine touchdowns while the Raiders continued to dominate nearly all that stood in their path. But once again, the rollicking wind of the Oakland Raiders hit a Steel Curtain in the AFC Championship Game. On the heels of another disappointing finish so close to the Super Bowl, Cliff Branch (2-56) and his teammates knew that they only had so many more opportunities to make and win the Super Bowl.
1976 was a big year for America and the Oakland Raiders. While the nation celebrated its bicentennial, the Raiders tore through their schedule, even beating the Steelers in the season's opening week. Cliff Branch had his finest year yet, catching 46 passes for 1,111 yards and scoring a league-leading 12 touchdowns.
Having lost just once all year, the Raiders entered the playoffs with homefield advantage throughout with their gaze turned toward Pasadena and the Super Bowl. After avenging their lone loss of the year sin the first round by narrowly beating the Patriots, the hungry Raiders hosted the Steelers for the AFC championship. The injury depleted Pittsburgh squad stood little chance against the rollicking Raiders, losing 24-7 as Cliff Branch contributed three catches for 36 yards in the triumph. Two weeks later, Cliff Branch (3-20) and the Raiders fulfilled their destiny by beating the Vikings in the Super Bowl 32-14.
Although his numbers dropped significantly, Cliff Branch's 33 receptions for 540 yards and six touchdowns were good enough for his fourth and final Pro Bowl invitation in 1977. His six receptions for 113 yards paced his teammates as they battled and prevailed over the Baltimore Colts in the Ghost to the Post game.
A week later, the Raiders lost to the surging Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game, ending their tremendous run of excellence. From 1967 through 1977, the Raiders had appeared in nine AFL/AFC Championship Games and won a Super Bowl. After their Denver defeat, the Raiders began to show their age and would fail to reach teh playoffs again for the rest of the decade.
Two years later, esteemed coach John Madden retired due to stress and ulcers and in his place stepped longtime assistant Tom Flores. Cliff Branch was initially uneasy in Flores' two-tight end system and started acting out by missing team flights and meetings. There was even talk of a possible trade or cutting him altogether.
But things began to take a turn for the better in a late season game against the New Orleans Saints. Down by 21 early in the third quarter, the Raiders scored two touchdowns to cut the deficit to seven points. Branch finished off the Saints with touchdown grabs of 66 and six yards to lead a resounding 42-35 comeback win. Those seven receptions for 126 yards and two touchdowns may have saved his career.
The Raiders traded Ken Stabler to the Houston Oilers for local prep star Dan Pastorini in 1980. Unfortunately for Pastorini, the offensive line was a sieve early that year and he soon went down with a broken leg. In his place stepped Jim Plunkett, a man who many had written off as a bust.
He proved otherwise. Riding the coattails of Cliff Branches' 44 receptions for 858 yards and seven touchdowns, Plunkett led the Raiders to the Super Bowl, where Branch put on a clinic. He opened the game with a two-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter and stretched the lead to 21-3 early in the third quarter with a 29-yard touchdown catch. the Raiders managed to hang on to beat Philadelphia 27-10.
The Raiders moved to Los Angeles two years later and didn't skip a beat, losing just once in the 1982 strike shortened season. Cliff Branch adjusted well in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum that year, catching 30 passes for 575 yards and four touchdowns. But the Raiders were upset by the Jets in the first round of the playoffs. As they left the field, they had a sense of what they could accomplish if they really focused on the task at hand.
The Washington Redskins were the class of the league that year. Having won the Super Bowl the previous January, they came into 1983 wearing the bravado and gleam a team earns after winning its first title. They knew that they could win it all and they knew that they could win any game they played.
In Week 3 of that year, the Raiders invaded Washington D.C.'s RFK Stadium and stood toe-to-toe with the reigning champions. Down by ten, Cliff Branch ran a reception 99-yards for a thrilling touchdown that began one of the best shootouts of the year. Although the Raiders lost 37-35, they came away from the contest knowing that they could beat the best in the National Football League.
The Raiders made it back to the Super Bowl that year and faced off with the Redskins in a highly anticipated rematch. Los Angels throttled the reigning champs 38-9 and Cliff Branch played a big role in the affair by catching six passes for 94 yards and a touchdown early in the second quarter that extended the lead to 14-0.
By the time he won his third Super Bowl, Cliff Branch was 35 years old. Although his speed was still present, the hits he had taken were starting to take a toll. He retired after the 1985 season.
Cliff Branch died from a heart attack on August 3, 2019 in a hotel room in Bullhead City, Arizona. He was posthumously inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022.
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