1970: Warfield Stars as Dolphins Defeat Raiders

The Miami Dolphins were a team in transition as they hosted the Oakland Raiders on October 3, 1970. A losing franchise since entering the American Football League in 1966, they also had trouble drawing fans and owner Joe Robbie had taken the big step of luring Don Shula away from the Colts to be head coach. Another move that significantly benefited the offense was the acquisition of WR Paul Warfield (pictured above) from the Browns. Added to a mix that included rising young players in QB Bob Griese, FB Larry Csonka, and HB Jim Kiick, Warfield brought a much-needed element of speed to the wide receiver position. However, the Dolphins were also starting five rookies on defense. Miami was 1-1 coming into the game against Oakland, a team it had never beaten.

The Raiders, under second-year Head Coach John Madden, were perennial contenders that had reached the last three AFL title games, winning one of them. However, they were off to a slow start, sporting a record of 0-1-1 as they faced the Dolphins. The offense, directed by QB Daryle Lamonica, was still proficient but the defense was giving up points.

There was a good crowd of 57,140 in attendance for the Saturday night game at the Orange Bowl. The first quarter was scoreless as the teams traded punts and Miami CB Curtis Johnson intercepted a Lamonica pass at his 28 yard line. However, on the first play of the second quarter Bob Griese threw to Paul Warfield for a 49-yard touchdown. Garo Yepremian added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.

A torrential downpour struck soon thereafter that flooded the field but finally let up at halftime. Lamonica again threw an interception, this time by SS Dick Anderson, giving the Dolphins possession at the Oakland 33. But three plays later, Griese was picked off by CB Willie Brown.

HB Charlie Smith immediately took off for a 16-yard gain and the Raiders kept the ball on the ground as Smith and FB Hewritt Dixon ran the ball effectively in the rain. The drive stalled at the Miami 35, but George Blanda’s field goal attempt was blocked by CB Lloyd Mumphord.

Following the blocked kick, the Dolphins took over in Oakland territory and a short possession yielded a missed 49-yard field goal try by Yepremian. Another pass by Lamonica was intercepted, this time by Mumphord, however Miami was unable to move the ball and punted. WR Rod Sherman returned the kick 45 yards to the Dolphins’ 37 and the Raiders made good use of the field position. They went 32 yards in seven plays and Blanda kicked a 12-yard field goal with 27 seconds left in the half. There was still time remaining and the first half ended with Yepremian booting a 47-yard field goal. Miami took a 10-3 lead into the intermission.

The Dolphins had to punt following their first series of the third quarter and Oakland proceeded to go 64 yards in 13 plays. They got a break when rookie TE Raymond Chester, having caught a pass from Lamonica on third down, fumbled but WR Warren Wells recovered and reached the Miami 38. Again Smith and Dixon ran the ball well and Wells gained 14 yards on a reverse. Blanda capped the series with a 17-yard field goal to narrow Miami’s margin to 10-6.

Following a punt by the Raiders early in the fourth quarter, the Dolphins took over at their 20. On a second-and-10 play, Griese connected with Warfield for a 54-yard gain to the Oakland 24. Three plays later, Griese passed to Warfield again for a 17-yard touchdown and, with the successful PAT, a 17-6 lead.

Oakland’s next possession ended with another Lamonica interception and, following a punt by the Dolphins, the Raiders gambled on a fourth-and-one play at their own 35 and Lamonica was stopped for no gain.

The Dolphins extended their lead with a 40-yard Yepremian field goal. FB Marv Hubbard returned the ensuing kickoff 25 yards to the Oakland 49 and, with just over two minutes remaining, Lamonica went to the air three times, the third for a 36-yard touchdown to Wells against Miami’s prevent defense. Blanda’s extra point made it a seven-point game, but the onside kick was recovered by the Dolphins and Miami was able to run out the clock for a 20-13 win.

The Raiders led in total yards (334 to 279) and first downs (14 to 7). They outrushed the Dolphins by 180 yards to 104. However, Oakland also turned the ball over four times, to one suffered by Miami, although the Dolphins drew 11 penalties at a cost of 135 yards, to 6 flags thrown on the Raiders.

Bob Griese completed just 8 of 16 passes for 180 yards, but two were for touchdowns while one was intercepted. Paul Warfield had three catches for 120 yards and both TDs. Larry Csonka led the running game with 62 yards on 10 carries and Jim Kiick ran the ball 20 times for 44 yards and added 34 yards on two pass receptions.

For the Raiders, Daryle Lamonica was successful on 12 of 22 throws for 154 yards and a TD but also tossed four interceptions. Charlie Smith gained 68 yards on 15 rushing attempts and Hewritt Dixon was right behind with 67 yards on 14 carries. Warren Wells (pictured at left) had three catches for 61 yards and a TD and also ran the ball three times for another 34 yards. Fred Biletnikoff also caught the ball three times, for 36 yards.

The Dolphins won their next two contests before losing three straight, but then regained their footing and were victorious in their remaining games to finish at 10-4. It was good enough to place second in the AFC East and qualify as the Wild Card team in the playoffs. Oakland recovered to go 6-0-1 in its next seven games and 8-4-2 overall, which placed them first in the AFC West. The Raiders got their revenge on the Dolphins in the AFC Divisional playoff round, winning 21-14, but lost the AFC Championship game to the Colts.

Paul Warfield missed three games due to injury but received Pro Bowl recognition as he averaged a spectacular 25.1 yards-per-catch on 28 receptions for 703 yards with six touchdowns. Bob Griese also was a Pro Bowl selection, completing 58 percent of his passes for 2019 yards and 12 TDs, although with 17 interceptions. 

1969: Long Lamonica-to-Wells TD Gives Raiders Win Over Chargers

The Oakland Raiders were 7-1-1 and battling the Chiefs atop the Western Division of the American Football League as they took on their West Coast rivals, the San Diego Chargers, on November 16, 1969. Oakland had won the division the previous two seasons (and put together an outstanding 25-3 regular-season record in doing so) and, under first-year Head Coach John Madden, was looking to win one last AFL Championship before the scheduled merger with the NFL. QB Daryle Lamonica (pictured at right) directed a dynamic passing attack on offense and the defense was intimidating and effective.

The game marked a noteworthy milestone for the Chargers, for it would be the first in franchise history without Sid Gillman as head coach. While he remained as general manager, a bleeding ulcer had forced him to hand over the coaching reigns to assistant Charlie Waller. Doubtless it had not helped his condition that the talented club was 4-5 and had lost its last three games, including one at home against the Raiders. Typically known for their offensive prowess under Gillman, the Chargers had failed to score an offensive touchdown in their last two contests.

There were 54,372 in attendance at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The Chargers implemented a zone defense to try and shut down Oakland’s aerial attack, at one point going to six defensive backs to thwart the outside passing game. As a result, the Raiders offense sputtered much of the game, but the Chargers weren’t able to capitalize despite inspired defensive play.

Following a scoreless first quarter, San Diego CB Speedy Duncan intercepted a Lamonica pass and made a spectacular 72-yard return, shaking attempted tackles by virtually all of the Raiders on the field along the way.

Oakland came back and Lamonica completed a 19-yard scoring pass to WR Fred Biletnikoff that, with the successful extra point, evened the score at 7-7. The defense put the Raiders ahead before the half when LB Dan Conners pulled the ball out of TE Willie Frazier’s hands and ran 25 yards for a touchdown. Oakland was ahead by 14-7 after thirty minutes of play.

The Chargers drew closer in the third quarter thanks to an 18-yard field goal by Dennis Partee that made it a 14-10 game. Partee made it a one-point contest with a 31-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, but San Diego continued to miss opportunities on offense. An apparent five-yard scoring run by HB Dickie Post was nullified by an illegal procedure penalty on rookie OT Gene Ferguson, who was subbing for injured star Ron Mix.

Another opportunity was lost when Partee missed a 31-yard field goal attempt after the Chargers recovered a fumble by Raiders HB Charlie Smith at the Oakland 17. San Diego twice made it inside the Oakland 15 in the fourth quarter, but came away with just three points

Still, the Chargers took the lead on Partee’s third successful field goal of the game, from 14 yards out, that capped a 53-yard drive highlighted by five runs by the scatback Post, one of 42 yards up the middle, that got the ball to the Oakland six. Waller chose to kick rather than go for the touchdown despite the success the Chargers were having running the ball

The ensuing kickoff was returned 21 yards by WR Rod Sherman and the Raiders lost a yard on the next play (a draw by Charlie Smith) before Lamonica threw long to WR Warren Wells, who ran between CB Bob Howard and FS Jim Hill and caught the ball in stride at the San Diego 20. The well-thrown pass traveled some 60 yards in the air and Wells took it in unmolested for a spectacular 80-yard touchdown. Lamonica’s foot had slipped before throwing, and Howard and Hill, thinking that he had been sacked, backed off for a critical moment, allowing the speedy Wells to get past them.

With 5:41 remaining to play, the Chargers regained possession but couldn’t get beyond their own 23 and had to punt. Oakland sought to control the ball, and with 1:15 remaining, Lamonica completed a 14-yard pass to Biletnikoff on a third-and-six play from the Oakland 39. It allowed the Raiders to run out the clock and win the hard-fought contest by a score of 21-16.

Oakland outgained the Chargers by 309 yards to 224, but San Diego led in first downs, 17 to 13. The Raiders gained just 74 yards on 28 running plays and turned the ball over four times, to three by the Chargers.


Daryle Lamonica had a generally subpar performance as he completed 15 of 29 passes for 235 yards with two touchdowns and had three intercepted, but he made the big plays when he had to. Most of the completions were to FB Hewritt Dixon on flares and screens, and he ended up with 8 catches for 49 yards while also leading the club in rushing with 64 yards on 14 carries. With the long scoring play, Warren Wells (pictured at left) had 105 yards on two completions. Fred Biletnikoff added three catches for 47 yards and a TD.

For the Chargers, QB John Hadl went to the air 32 times but had only 12 completions for 127 yards, although he threw no interceptions. Dickie Post had an outstanding rushing performance as he gained 113 yards on 20 carries. Oakland’s cornerbacks Willie Brown and Nemiah Wilson were effective in keeping San Diego’s star WR Lance Alworth bottled up, and he had just 3 catches for 25 yards and with no TDs. As a result, TE Jeff Queen led the team in passing yards with 59 on his two receptions. WR Rick Eber also had three catches, for 28 yards.

“Good teams - teams that win championships - win close games like this one,” Oakland’s Coach Madden said afterward. “You’d like to win them by big scores but sometimes you win on 80-yard pass plays. The important thing is that you win.”

“This was the first time in 35 years I was up in the stands while a team of mine was playing down on the field,” said a wan Sid Gillman, who suffered through the game while sitting with Chargers coaches up in the press box. “It was, to put it mildly, a little tough on me. But I'll get used lo it. I'll get used to anything – except losing.”

“Boy, it really hurts,” summed up the 47-year-old Charlie Waller, a loser in his first game as a head coach. He added, “Our defense gave us good field position, but we didn’t have any punch. We couldn’t get the touchdown and then we missed a 30-yard field goal, too.”

The Raiders won the remainder of their games to once again win the Western Division with a 12-1-1 record. In the playoff format for the AFL’s final season, the division winners faced the second place teams in the opposite division in the first round, and Oakland easily dispatched the Eastern Division’s number two club, the Houston Oilers, by a 56-7 score. However, the Chiefs, who finished second in their division to the Raiders, defeated the top team in the East, the defending-champion New York Jets. While Oakland had beaten Kansas City twice during the regular season, the Chiefs came away with a 17-7 win in the AFL title game.

As for the Chargers, the loss to the Raiders marked the third straight game without an offensive TD. However, they rallied under Coach Waller to win their last four games and ended up third in the Western Division at 8-6.

Daryle Lamonica was named AFL Player of the Year by UPI as he led the league in pass attempts (426), completions (221), yards (3302), and TD passes (34). On the downside, he also led the AFL by throwing 25 interceptions. He ranked second in passing (79.8 rating), yards per attempt (7.8), and completion percentage (51.9).

Warren Wells had 47 catches for a league-leading 1260 yards, 26.8 per-reception average, and 14 touchdowns. His 1284 yards from scrimmage also led the AFL.

Dickie Post, the diminutive halfback (5’9”, 190 pounds), led the AFL in rushing 873 yards on 182 carries (4.8 avg.) and six touchdowns. His 1182 total yards ranked seventh and he was an AFL All-Star for the second time.