Rod Martin, Raiders Super Bowl Hero And Usc Standout, Dies At 72

A legendary NFL coach recovered linebacker Rod Martin not by scouting him astatine USC, but almost by accident.

The Oakland Raiders had a throwaway 12th-round prime successful nan 1977 draft, and then-coach John Madden grew disappointment proceeding his unit executives contemplate utilizing it connected a hoops subordinate aliases way guy. Finally, Madden blurted retired that he could find a random kid stepping astir nan USC field successful sandals who could make much of an effect than that.

“Ron Wolf says, ‘All right, smart guy,’” recalled Madden’s son, Mike. “So they were a mates picks distant and dada goes, ‘Let maine telephone [USC coach] John Robinson.’”

Robinson had 1 question: Has Rod Martin been drafted?

Raiders linebacker Rod Martin stands connected nan section during a crippled against nan Buffalo Bills connected Dec. 6, 1987, astatine nan Coliseum.

(Mike Powell / Getty Images)

“Dad goes, ‘What position does he play?’” nan younger Madden said. “Robinson tells him Martin is simply a linebacker, and dada goes, ‘Good. Tough feline we tin sound astir successful training camp. Have him tally down connected kicks.’ And Robinson says, ‘No, John. Rod Martin will make your team.’”

Martin did a batch much than make nan team. He would spell connected to group a Super Bowl grounds pinch 3 interceptions successful 1 of nan astir ascendant protect performances successful title history.

Martin, who would play his entire 12-year career pinch nan Oakland past Los Angeles Raiders, is dormant astatine property 72. The Raiders announced his decease Monday.

“The Raiders family is profoundly saddened by nan passing of Rod Martin, a standout linebacker and cardinal subordinate connected 2 Super Bowl title teams,” publication a squad statement.

The franchise called Martin, “a beloved personnel of nan Raiders Family and a favourite of Raiders fans everywhere.”

A two-time Super Bowl victor and a two-time Pro Bowl selection, Martin saved his champion crippled for nan biggest stage. In Super Bowl XV astatine nan Louisiana Superdome, he intercepted Philadelphia Eagles backmost Ron Jaworski 3 times successful a 27-10 Raiders victory.

“What I retrieve astir Rod was his expertise to diagnose and react,” Jaworski said by telephone Monday. “In nan Super Bowl, he makes 2 phenomenal plays. He has 3 interceptions, but interceptions 1 and 2 — I’d for illustration to opportunity they were bad decisions connected my part. They weren’t. I tried to compression throws in. He conscionable made a awesome play. He was a awesome athlete.”

Three years later, Martin was still a cardinal constituent to nan Raiders’ defense successful a Super Bowl triumph complete Washington. He had a sack of backmost Joe Theismann, a fumble recovery, and a fourth-and-one extremity of John Riggins precocious successful nan 3rd 4th of a 38-9 blowout.

Born successful Welch, W. Va., nan boy of a ember miner grew up successful Los Angeles and attended Hamilton High earlier going connected to play astatine Los Angeles City College and USC. The NFL saw him arsenic a tweener, excessively mini for linebacker astatine 210 pounds and excessively slow to play safety. Clearly, that was a faulty assessment.

Hall of Fame backmost Warren Moon was 2 years down Martin astatine Hamilton, and nan 2 remained friends passim nan decades that followed.

“We met erstwhile I was a sophomore,” Moon said. “He was a elder — mediate linebacker, fullback and halfway connected nan hoops team. He was nan eventual athlete. At nan clip I was there, I looked up to him rather a lot.

“He wasn’t nan biggest feline successful nan world, but he was large enough. He had nan strongest hands and nan strongest forearms. He could conscionable return a tight extremity aliases whoever came to artifact him, drawback his pads, shove him disconnected and spell make nan play. He was conscionable a existent coagulated player.”

It was those hands that grabbed an opportunity pinch nan Raiders and didn’t fto go.

“So dada goes marching into nan draught room,” Madden said, “looks astatine Ron and everybody other and says, ‘We’re going to return Rod Martin, linebacker, USC.’ And they did.”