Cover of 144. Backup QB Mike Rae Keeps Oakland Undefeated in 1976

144. Backup QB Mike Rae Keeps Oakland Undefeated in 1976

144. Backup QB Mike Rae Keeps Oakland Undefeated in 1976

Listen for free

View show details

Season's Savings | 0.99 €/month for 3 months

5.99 €/month thereafter - terms apply. Cancel monthly.
The 1976 Maryland Terrapins had their breakout season under quarterback Mark Manges, a 6'3", 220-pound junior out of Cumberland, Maryland, who landed on the October 4, 1976 cover of Sports Illustrated under the headline “Maryland on the Move,” captured mid-scramble against Syracuse by photographer Walter Iooss Jr. Manges, a dual-threat “tackle-busting” quarterback who passed for 1,145 yards on just 139 attempts while also rushing for 448 yards and clearing holes for his running backs, helped lead Maryland to an extraordinary 11-0 start that season, pushing the Terrapins to a No. 6 national ranking before the team ultimately fell to Houston 30-21 in the Cotton Bowl. His performance earned him First-team All-ACC honors, and the cover appearance remains one of the signature moments in Maryland football history — a program that, as the SI piece on his legacy later noted, became more popular in the state that fall “than crab cakes.” That same October 4, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated also featured a photo of another quarterback making his mark that fall: Mike Rae of the Oakland Raiders. When starter Ken Stabler went down with a knee injury early in the season, the former USC Trojan stepped in against the Houston Oilers on September 26 and delivered a steady 13-of-22 performance for 170 yards and two touchdown passes to Cliff Branch in a narrow 14-13 victory that kept the Raiders undefeated at 3-0. Rae’s calm, efficient play provided exactly the insurance John Madden’s team needed. Rae would start twice that year and win both games, including a 24-0 victory over San Diego in the regular-season finale while Stabler rested. His steady presence helped stabilize a loaded Raiders squad that went on to win Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl — the same stadium where Rae had capped off a perfect national championship season for USC under coach John McKay just a few years earlier. Mike Rae swings by the Past Our Prime podcast to talk about what it was really like being the guy who had to step in whenever Kenny “The Snake” Stabler went down for that multi-talented 1970s Raiders team. He gets into all the bigger-than-life personalities around him — owner Al Davis running the show his own way, John Madden pacing the sidelines, and of course Stabler himself. Rae also reflects on returning to the Rose Bowl for the Super Bowl, leaving Oakland for Tampa Bay and reuniting with his college coach, starting his career in the CFL, and wrapping things up in the USFL. And yeah… he drops a great story about the ultimate Raiders super fan, James Garner — Mr. Rockford himself. It’s a fun one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet