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Rod Martin, a key contributor to Super Bowl-winning teams, has died at age 72, the Las Vegas Raiders announced.
Martin is perhaps best known for his record-breaking performance in Super Bowl XV, when he caught three passes from Ron Jaworski en route to a 27-10 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Martin set the tone by picking off the Eagles quarterback on his first pass of the game, and Jim Plunkett turned it into six points a few plays later on the ensuing drive.
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Former Los Angeles and Oakland Raiders linebacker Rod Martin attends the game against the San Diego Chargers at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California on October 10, 2010. (Kirby Lee/Image of Sports-USA TODAY Sports)
With the Eagles down 21-3, they tried to come back and were walking, but Martin took out Jaworski again. Martin’s third pick all but sealed the victory late in the fourth quarter for the Raiders in their first visit to Oakland.
Three years later, when the Los Angeles Raiders won Super Bowl XVIII against the Washington Redskins, he recovered a sack and a fumble.
“The Raiders family is deeply saddened by the passing of Rod Martin, a remarkable linebacker and key player on two Super Bowl championship teams…,” the team said in a statement.
Linebacker Rod Martin of the Los Angeles Raiders stands on the sidelines against the Miami Dolphins at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida on October 19, 1986. (USA TODAY Sports)
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“A beloved member of the Raiders family and favorite of Raiders fans everywhere, the deepest condolences of all of Raider Nation go out to Rod’s family at this time.”
Surprisingly, Martin’s career high for regular season interceptions is four from his 1983 campaign, the same year as his second Super Bowl victory. Two of them went for pick sixes, which led the league.
The following season, he was named a first-team All-Pro for the only time in his career.
Super Bowl XV was the only time he recorded at least one interception in a playoff game, and it was the only time in his career he had more than one in a game, regular season or playoff.
Oakland Raiders linebacker Rod Martin carries the ball after an interception against the Philadelphia Eagles during Super Bowl XV at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 25, 1981. The Raiders defeated the Eagles 27-10. (Manny Rubio/USA TODAY Sports)
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Martin was a 12th round pick out of USC, but became a mainstay of the Raiders’ defense, starting 147 of his 165 career games during his 12-year career, all with the Raiders.
