1969: John Madden Becomes Head Coach of Raiders

On February 4, 1969 the Oakland Raiders elevated John Madden, an assistant coach in charge of linebackers, to head coach. At 32 (he would turn 33 prior to the ’69 season), Madden, hardly the household name that he would later become, was the youngest head coach in either the AFL or NFL.

Madden succeeded John Rauch, who had compiled a 35-10-1 record over three seasons (including the playoffs) that included an AFL Championship in 1967. However, Rauch had clashed with Al Davis, the managing general partner, and resigned to take over as head coach in Buffalo (signed to a four-year contract, he lasted just two seasons as the Bills went 7-20-1). Davis had originally come to the Raiders as head coach (as well as general manager) and had served in that capacity for three seasons prior to a short stint as commissioner of the AFL, but made clear upon Rauch’s departure that he would not serve again in that capacity.

Davis chose to stay within the organization and elevated Madden instead of offensive line coach Ollie Spencer. The burly young coach had played tackle in college at California Polytechnic in San Luis Obispo and received all-conference honors. Drafted in the 21st round by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1958, a preseason knee injury brought a quick end to his pro career – although he did receive mentoring from Hall of Fame QB (and future pro head coach) Norm Van Brocklin. From there he went into college coaching and advanced through the ranks, with four years at Hancock Junior College in Santa Maria, California (two as head coach) and two years as defensive coach at San Diego State (on the staff of another future NFL head coach and mentor, Don Coryell). He joined the Raiders coaching staff under Rauch in 1967.

It was anticipated that going with a new coach who was already associated with the team would maintain stability, and with the club’s recent success, significant change was hardly in order. The Raiders had won the AFL Western Division for the second straight year in 1968 with a 12-2 record, defeating the Chiefs to break a tie at the top of the standings but then losing the league title game to the Jets.

There was no letdown under the new coach in 1969 as Oakland once again topped the division at 12-1-1. The offense was explosive, and QB Daryle Lamonica (pictured with Madden below) had an MVP season (UPI) as he led the AFL in its last pre-merger season in passing yards (3302), TD passes (34), pass attempts (426), and completions (221) – although also in interceptions, with 25. Deep-threat WR Warren Wells caught 47 passes for a league-leading 1260 yards and 14 touchdowns, while possession WR Fred Biletnikoff ranked second in pass receptions (54) and gained 837 yards while adding another 12 TDs.


Speedy HB Charlie Smith led the club with 600 yards rushing and also caught 30 passes and FB Hewritt Dixon, hindered by injuries but effective when healthy, added 398 yards on the ground and 33 receptions. The offensive line featured All-AFL performers in C Jim Otto, G Gene Upshaw, and OT Harry Schuh.

The defense was known for its aggressiveness and featured ends Ike Lassiter and Ben Davidson and tackles Carleton Oats and Tom Keating on the line. Gus Otto was an AFL All-Star for his play at right outside linebacker, while Dan Connors held down the middle. The backfield was outstanding and included cornerbacks Willie Brown and Nemiah Wilson plus FS Dave Grayson and SS George Atkinson. Oakland’s opponents completed just 38.9 percent of their passes. In addition, 42-year-old backup QB George Blanda was still one of the game’s most reliable placekickers and Mike Eischeid a good punter.

However, the ’69 season ended in disappointment. For the league’s last year, instead of the two division champions vying directly for the title, an extra layer was added to the postseason, with each first place team facing the second place finisher in the other division. The Raiders had no trouble disposing of the Houston Oilers, who finished second in the Eastern Division with a 6-6-2 record, bombarding them by a score of 56-7. The Jets, top finishers in the East and seeking a second consecutive title, lost to the Western Division’s second place team, the Chiefs, by a 13-6 tally. Oakland had beaten Kansas City in both meetings during the regular season, but in the final AFL Championship game, it was the Chiefs prevailing, 17-7, and then going on to defeat the champions of the NFL, the Minnesota Vikings, in the Super Bowl.

Success during the regular season followed by disappointment in the playoffs became a near-annual event, and the Raiders developed a reputation as a good team that couldn’t win the big games. In 1970, they won the division and advanced to the first AFC Championship game, but lost to the Colts. After going 8-4-2 and missing the postseason in ’71, the Raiders were back atop the AFC West at 10-3-1 in 1972 but lost in gut-wrenching fashion to the Steelers in the Divisional round as a result of the “Immaculate Reception” touchdown by RB Franco Harris. They were back in the conference title game in ’73 but lost to Miami. In 1974 and ’75 they also made it to the AFC Championship game, and lost to the Steelers both times.

Finally, Oakland went the distance in 1976, going 13-1 during the regular season and handily beating Pittsburgh for the conference title. In the Super Bowl, the Raiders defeated Minnesota in convincing fashion to finally achieve the elusive NFL Championship.


Madden coached for two more years but stepped down after the 1978 season. An animated and excitable coach, he had developed stomach ulcers and chose to leave the profession at age 42. He would, of course, transition into a long and prominent career broadcasting pro football games. He would also achieve recognition for his coaching achievements, gaining induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

Madden’s coaching record was 103-32-7 in the regular season, for a gaudy .763 winning percentage (the highest in league history for a head coach with at least ten seasons), and his teams went 9-7 in the postseason, including the one NFL title.

1969: Greg Cook Leads Bengals Past Dolphins for Paul Brown’s 300th Win

The September 14, 1969 season-opening game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins at the University of Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium achieved a couple of milestones – one highlighting the long-term achievement of a head coach and the other marking the arrival of a talented player whose career would flame out all too quickly.

Paul Brown (pictured above) had returned to pro football coaching in 1968 after an absence of five years. The architect of the Cleveland Browns team that dominated the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1946-49 and then appeared in six consecutive title games in the NFL had been summarily dismissed by young owner Art Modell following the 1962 season. Brown returned with the AFL expansion Cincinnati Bengals, where he was not only the general manager (as he had been in Cleveland) but had a part ownership in the franchise (all the better for job security).

Brown was a winning coach at every level, starting at Severn School, a prep school in Maryland where he began his coaching career (16-1-1) before returning to his native Ohio and Massillon Washington High School, where he first gained notoriety by leading the team to six consecutive state high school championships during his nine years there (80-8-2). It was on to the college level at Ohio State (18-8-1, including a national championship in 1942) and then service football at Great Lakes Naval Station (15-5-2). Entering the ranks of pro coaches with the Cleveland Browns, first in the AAFC (52-4-3, including postseason) and NFL (115-49-5, also including postseason), he had gone through a typically difficult 3-11 expansion season in ’68 with the Bengals. When added together, Brown entered the 1969 AFL season with 299 career wins as a head coach at all levels.

During 1968, Brown had personally scouted Greg Cook, a quarterback at the University of Cincinnati. The legendary coach liked what he saw and the Bengals made Cook their first choice in the ’69 draft. From the beginning, it seemed as though Cook had all the ingredients for greatness. He was tall, at 6’4”, weighed in at 220, had a strong and accurate throwing arm, a quick release, and good mobility. Moreover, he was intelligent, confident, and had the right emotional makeup – all in all, an excellent blend of physical ability and intangibles.

Cook threw three touchdown passes to nearly lead the College All-Stars to an upset of the defending AFL champion Jets. Even though his All-Star game participation caused him to get a late start in training camp, he became the sensation of the preseason and was the starting quarterback for Cincinnati in the opening game. He did not disappoint.


After the Dolphins took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a 10-yard touchdown pass from QB Bob Griese to WR Karl Noonan, HB Paul Robinson (the AFL’s leading rusher as a rookie in ’68) scored at the end of the period on a four-yard run. The game didn’t remain tied for long as HB Mercury Morris of the Dolphins returned the ensuing kickoff 105 yards. But Cook (pictured at left) showed off his passing skill as he threw two touchdown passes to split end Eric Crabtree, of 69 and 25 yards, to put Cincinnati ahead by 21-14 at halftime.

Horst Muhlmann booted two third quarter field goals, and while HB Jim Kiick ran for a fourth quarter TD, the Bengals held on to win, 27-21. Paul Brown had the 300th win of his illustrious coaching career.

Miami’s third-year quarterback, Bob Griese, threw for 327 yards and a TD, but also gave up two interceptions. Greg Cook completed 11 of 21 passes for 155 yards with the two touchdowns and had one picked off. Eric Crabtree, thanks to the two long scoring receptions, gained 113 yards on three catches. The Bengals also outran the Dolphins, 101 yards to 79, with FB Jess Phillips leading the way at 62 yards on 11 attempts.

It was a good beginning for Cincinnati, and Cook and the Bengals became the talk of the league as they improved to 3-0 with wins over the Chargers and Chiefs. However, the Kansas City game marked the beginning of the end for the rookie phenom. While rolling out on a pass play, Cook was hit hard and came down on his throwing shoulder. In the days before MRIs, it wasn’t recognized that Cook had severely damaged his rotator cuff (it was misdiagnosed as a shoulder separation).

Cook was rested for four weeks – all games that Cincinnati lost with backup Sam Wyche at quarterback – and returned to lead the Bengals to an upset of the Oakland Raiders by a score of 31-17. Cook threw two touchdown passes despite his damaged shoulder (and greatly impressed Oakland’s first-year head coach, John Madden). He threw four touchdown passes and accumulated 298 yards through the air the following week in a 31-31 tie with Houston. But the next week Cook was intercepted three times as the Bengals lost to the Patriots.

There were further injuries in addition to the rotator cuff, causing Cook’s performance to suffer in the remaining games. Cincinnati lost five straight to close out the season and ended up with a 4-9-1 record. The rookie threw for 291 yards and a TD in the finale at Denver, which was effectively the last game of his career. Cook appeared in a contest for the Bengals in 1973, in which he completed one of three passes, and that was it. Playing through the rotator cuff injury – and not having modern diagnostic and surgical techniques available to him – proved disastrous.

Nevertheless, Cook made an impression in 1969. He led the AFL in passing (88.3 rating), completion percentage (53.8), yards per attempt (9.4, still the record for a rookie quarterback), and yards per completion (an excellent 17.5); his 15 touchdown passes resulted in a TD percentage of 7.6, which ranked second. Perhaps tellingly, despite missing significant time to injury, he was ranked second in the league in times sacked (29, tied with Denver’s Steve Tensi).

Perhaps John Madden best summed up the impact of Cook’s performance in ’69: “That was the year that Daryle Lamonica had his best year and the year that Len Dawson led the Chiefs to the Super Bowl. But Cook looked like the best quarterback in the league – better than Lamonica, better than Dawson, better than Namath, Hadl, or Griese. I thought that this kid was going to be better than anyone I had ever seen.”

As for Paul Brown, he remained coach until his retirement following the 1975 season and led the Bengals to the postseason three times (including 1970, in just the third year of the franchise’s existence). He accumulated another 51 wins beyond the 300th in the victory over Miami and ended up with 222 (counting the postseason) as a pro coach alone (AAFC, AFL, NFL).