Cliff Branch

Cliff Branch

Cliff Branch (right)
No. 21
Wide receiver
Personal information
Date of birth: August 1, 1948 (1948-08-01) (age 63)
Place of birth: Houston, Texas
Height: 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	Weight: 170 lb (77 kg)
Career information
College: Colorado
NFL Draft: 1972 / Round: 4 / Pick: 98
Debuted in 1972 for the Oakland Raiders
Last played in 1985 for the Los Angeles Raiders
Career history
Oakland / Los Angeles Raiders (1972-1985)
Career highlights and awards
4× Pro Bowl selection (1974, 1975, 1976, 1977) 4× First team All-Pro selection (1974, 1975, 1976, 1977) 3× Super Bowl champion (XI, XV, XVIII) Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders franchise record for longest reception (99 yards from Jim Plunkett, 1983) NCAA Division I-A record for kickoff returns for touchdowns (8, t-1st)
Career NFL statistics as of 1985
Receptions	501
Receiving Yards	8,685
Touchdowns	67
Stats at NFL.com

Cliff Branch (born August 1, 1948) is a retired American football wide receiver who spent his entire 14-year NFL career with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, winning three Super Bowl rings in Super Bowl XI, Super Bowl XV and Super Bowl XVIII. Branch holds the distinction of being the only wide receiver to be a member of all 3 Raiders Super Bowl teams.

Early years

Branch graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1972 where he was a 5-year letterman in football. During his time at Colorado, Cliff set the NCAA Division 1-A record for kickoffs returned for touchdowns with 8. Branch was selected in the fourth round of the 1972 NFL Draft with the 98th overall pick by the Oakland Raiders.

Professional Career

Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders

Branch spent his entire 14-year NFL career with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, winning three Super Bowl rings in Super Bowl XI, Super Bowl XV and Super Bowl XVIII. Branch caught 3 passes for 20 yards in Super Bowl XI, 5 passes for 62 yards and 2 touchdowns in Super Bowl XV, and 6 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown in Super Bowl XVIII.

Cliff was voted a First team All-Pro in four consecutive seasons (1974–1977) and had 46 receptions in 1976 for 1,111 yards and 12 TDs, averaging 24.2 yards per catch. During this time, Branch was also named to four consecutive Pro Bowls from 1974–1977. In 1974, Branch led the National Football League in both receiving yards (1,092) and receiving touchdowns (13). During the 1983 season, Branch set the Raiders franchise record for the longest TD reception (99 yards), on a pass from Jim Plunkett.

Branch finished his 14 NFL seasons with 501 receptions for 8,685 yards and 67 touchdowns. He also rushed for 70 yards and returned 9 kickoffs for 191 yards.

Later years

Branch's NFL career ended after the 1985 season. He played for the Los Angeles Cobras of the Arena Football League in 1988, their only season of existence. Branch holds the distinction of being the only wide receiver to be a part of all three Raiders Super Bowl teams, those being the 1976, 1980, and 1983 teams. Branch is a nominee to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and was a semifinalist in 2004 and 2010.

Records

• NCAA Division I-A record for kickoff returns for touchdowns (8, t-1st)
• Oakland Raiders franchise record for longest reception (99 yards from Jim Plunkett, 1983)

Awards

• Four Pro Bowl appearances (1974–1977)
• Four time first team All-Pro selection (1974-1977)
• Three-time Super Bowl champion (XI, XV, XVIII)

External links

• Profile at NFL.com
• Career statistics at pro-football-reference.com
• Whatever Happened to Cliff Branch? from raiders.com
• Cliff Branch on ArenaFan.com

Persondata
Name	Branch, Cliff
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	August 1, 1948
Place of birth	Houston, Texas
Date of death
Place of death