Raiders records
NFL Most Valuable Players
1974 Ken Stabler
Stabler became the first Raider to be honored
as the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 1974
after directing the most potent offensive
attack in the league and leading the team to
its third consecutive AFC Western Division
championship. Behind his accurate passing,
the Raiders led the league with 355 total points
and 46 touchdowns. Stabler completed 178-
of-310 passes for 2,469 yards and a leaguebest
26 touchdowns, finishing the season
with the second-highest quarterback rating in
the NFL at 94.9. He was the league’s most
efficient passer, averaging a touchdown once
in every 12 pass attempts. He was remarkably
consistent throughout the season, throwing a
touchdown in 11-of-13 games and passing for
200-or-more yards seven times. At one point,
he went nearly six full games without throwing
an interception, a span of 143 passes. Under
Stabler’s leadership, the Raiders won nine
consecutive games and clinched the division
title in 10 weeks, the earliest in team history.
In addition to being named MVP, he was the
unanimous AFC Player of the Year, was a
consensus All-Pro and was named the starter
in the Pro Bowl for the second consecutive
season. He also won the Gorman Award for the
“Player Who Best Exemplifies the Pride and
Spirit of the Oakland Raiders.”
1985 Marcus Allen
Two seasons after winning the MVP award in
Super Bowl XVIII, Marcus Allen recorded the
greatest season by a running back in Raiders
history and was named the National Football
League’s Most Valuable Player. Allen became
the first Raider to lead the NFL in rushing with
1,759 yards and carried the Raiders to their
third AFC Western Division championship in
four seasons. His 1,759 yards remain the
highest single-season total in Raider history.
He rushed for 100 yards or more in 11 of
the final 12 games of the season and tied a
then-NFL record by topping the century mark
in nine consecutive games to close the year.
Allen rushed for 11 touchdowns and scored
three through the air. He was second on the
team in receiving with 67 catches for 555
yards. His 2,314 total yards from scrimmage
set an NFL record that stood for 14 seasons.
In addition to winning the league MVP award,
Allen was named Player of the Year by The
Sporting News and Football News, was United
Press International’s Offensive Player of the
Year and played in his third Pro Bowl.
2002 Rich Gannon
In 2002, Rich Gannon led the Oakland Raiders
back to the Super Bowl and had one of the
greatest seasons in the history of the National
Football League, earning his NFL’s Most
Valuable Player award for his performance.
Gannon completed an NFL-record 418-of-618
passes for 4,689 yards and 26 touchdowns
against only 10 interceptions. He threw for
300-or-more yards in 10 games, tying an NFL
record, and set a new league record for most
consecutive 300-yard passing games with
six. His 4,689 passing yards are the most in
Raider history and are tied for 24th-best in
league history, while his 618 pass attempts set
a new team record. Gannon was an outstanding
distributor, completing 30-or-more passes to
five different players. He set an NFL record for
most consecutive completions in a game with
21 in a November win at Denver that turned
the team’s season around. He also remains
tied for second in league history in single-game
completions after converting on 43 attempts in
a 30-17 win at Pittsburgh in the second game
of the season. Behind Gannon’s brilliant play,
the Raiders captured their third consecutive
AFC Western Division title and earned home
field advantage in the AFC Playoffs. The Raider
offense was the most potent in the league,
ranking first in total offense (6,237 yards),
passing offense (4,475 yards), total yards per
game (389.8), net passing yards per game
(279.7), total first downs (366) and first downs
per game (22.9). Gannon started all 16 games
and attempted every pass for the Raiders in
2002. He also became the only player in NFL
history to complete passes to the first three
players to reach 1,000 career receptions (Jerry
Rice, Tim Brown and Cris Carter).
104 2019 Gameday