Age: 26
5th
season in pro football & with Raiders
College: Florida
State
Height: 6’1” Weight: 190
Prelude:
Biletnikoff
caught 57 passes for 987 yards and 11 touchdowns as a college senior and added
another 13 receptions for 192 yards and four TDs in the Gator Bowl. He was
chosen in the second round of the 1965 AFL draft by the Raiders (and in the
third round of the NFL draft by the Detroit Lions) and moved into the starting
lineup at midseason. A quiet second season was followed by a breakout year in
1967 in which Biletnikoff had 40 catches for 876 yards (21.9 avg.) and was
named to the AFL All-Star Game. He followed up with 61 receptions for a
career-high 1037 yards (17.0 avg.) and six TDs in ’68.
1969 Season Summary
Appeared in all
14 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Pass
Receiving
Receptions – 54
[2]
Most
receptions, game – 9 (for 132 yds.) vs. Miami 9/20, (for 119 yds.) at Miami
10/4
Yards – 837 [5]
Most yards,
game – 132 (on 9 catches) vs. Miami 9/20
Average gain
– 15.5 [15]
TDs – 12 [2]
100-yard
receiving games – 3
Scoring
TDs – 12 [2]
Points – 72 [10]
Postseason: 2 G
Pass
receptions – 3
Most pass
receptions, game – 3 vs. Houston, AFL Divisional playoff
Pass
receiving yards – 70
Most pass
receiving yards, game – 70 vs. Houston, AFL Divisional playoff
Average yards
per reception – 23.3
Pass
Receiving TDs – 2
Awards & Honors:
1st
team All-AFL: AP, PFWA, NEA, NY Daily News, Pro Football Weekly, Sporting News
2nd
team All-AFL: Hall of Fame, UPI
AFL All-Star
Game
Raiders went 12-1-1
to finish first in the AFL Western Division while leading the league in total
yards (5036), passing yards (3271), touchdowns (45), and scoring (377 points).
Won AFL Divisional playoff over Houston Oilers (56-7). Lost AFL Championship to
Kansas City Chiefs (17-7).
Aftermath:
Biletnikoff
spent another nine seasons with the Raiders. Lacking great speed and with a
slight build, he had excellent hands (often covered with “stickum”) and a knack
for getting open, and he was highly consistent, catching 40 or more passes 10
times. Biletnikoff led the NFL with 61 pass receptions in 1971 and was named to
two AFL All-Star Games, four Pro Bowls, received at least some All-AFL or
All-NFL honors after five seasons, and was the MVP of Super Bowl XI following
the 1976 season. Overall with the Raiders, he caught 589 passes, the fourth
most in league history at the time, for 8974 yards (15.2 avg.) and 76
touchdowns. He held NFL postseason records at the time of his retirement with
70 receptions for 1167 yards (16.7 avg.) and 10 TDs. Biletnikoff spent one
final season (1979) in the CFL with the Montreal Alouettes and capped his pro
career with 38 catches for 470 yards and four TDs. He was inducted into the Pro
Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1988.
--
Highlighted Years features players who were consensus
first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the
following statistical categories:
Rushing:
Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Passing:
Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating
Receiving:
Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Scoring: TDs,
Points, Field Goals (min. 5)
All-Purpose:
Total Yards
Defense:
Interceptions, Sacks
Kickoff
Returns: Average
Punt Returns:
Average
Punting:
Average
*Leagues include
NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69),
WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)
**NFC/AFC
since 1970
