For a total of 100 days, we'll take a look at the men who have played for the Raiders jersey number by jersey number. This series will highlight some of the greatest players in NFL history. In some cases, the player and jersey number are synonymous. In other cases, the jersey number represents sustained greatness at a particular position. Some players are superstitious about their jersey number. Whatever the case may be, jersey numbers are an important part of the fabric of professional football.
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| WR Cliff Branch, the 3rd leading receiver in Raiders history, won three Super Bowls with the Silver and Black. |
Day 22 of our series. Sixteen players have worn No. 21 including a three-time Super Bowl champion wide receiver with blazing speed and several top-flight defensive backs.
George Fleming – K/KR/RB – 1961
Fleming was a jack of all trades in his one and only season in Oakland. He played in all 14 games, made 11 of 26 field goal attempts, 24 of 25 extra point attempts, returned 3 punts for 24 yards, returned 29 kickoffs for 588 yards, and carried the ball 31 times for 112 yards and a touchdown.
Hal Lewis – RB – 1962
Lewis played in 11 games with the Raiders in 1962 after a year with the Baltimore Colts and a season with the Buffalo Bills. He returned 9 punts for 65 yards and 3 kickoffs for 65 yards. He also rushed 9 times for 18 yards and caught 7 passes for 53 yards.
Dick Dorsey – WR – 1962
Dorsey also wore 21 for 11 games in 1962. He caught 21 passes for 344 yards and 2 TDs in his 1 season with the Raiders.
Gene Mingo – K – 1964-65
Mingo came over from Denver and played in 7 games in 1964 and 14 in 1965. He made 8 out of 19 field goal attempts in 21 games. He also played for Miami, Washington and Pittsburgh.
Rodger Bird – DB – 1966-68
Bird played in 38 games and returned 94 punts (8th in team history) for 1,063 yards and 25 kickoffs for 533 yards. He returned 8 interceptions for 110 yards and a score. He was named 2nd team All-AFL twice.
Cliff Branch – WR – 1972-85
Branch won three Super Bowls as a member of the Raiders. He played in 183 regular season games with 150 starts. He caught 501 passes for 8,685 yards and 67 TDs. He teamed with Jim Plunkett for the longest pass play in Raiders history, 99 yards in 1983 against Washington. Branch is the 3rd leading receiver in Raiders history behind Fred Biletnikoff and Tim Brown. Branch played in numerous playoff games and made his most memorable catches in the most important games.
Rick Calhoun – RB – 1987
Calhoun played in 3 games and returned 8 punts for 92 yards and 1 TD, and 9 kickoffs for 217 yards. He carried the ball 7 times for 36 yards and caught 1 pass for 17 yards.
Ron Fellows – CB – 1987-88
Fellows joined the Raiders after 6 years with the Dallas Cowboys. He played in 26 games with 12 starts, returned 2 punts for 19 yards, intercepted 2 passes and recovered 2 fumbles.
Garry Lewis – DB – 1990-91
Lewis was originally drafted by the Raiders in the 7th round of the 1990 NFL Draft out of Alcorn State. He played in 28 games with 7 starts.
Tyrone Montgomery – RB – 1993-94
Montgomery played in 18 games with 6 starts and carried the ball 73 times for 203 yards. He caught 18 passes for 169 yards and 1 TD.
Darren Carrington – DB – 1996
Carrington spent the last year of an 8-year career with the Raiders. He played in 14 games with 9 starts and recorded 1 interception for 21 yards. He played for Denver, Detroit, San Diego and Jacksonville prior to joining the Raiders.
Eric Allen – CB – 1998-01
Allen joined the Raiders after 7 years with the Eagles and 3 with the Saints. He played in 58 games with 56 starts and picked off 15 passes for 256 yards and 3 touchdowns, as he helped the Raiders win the AFC West in 2000 and 2001 after back-to-back 8-8 campaigns his first 2 years in Oakland.
Nnamdi Asomugha – CB – 2003-10
Asomugha was originally selected in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft out of Cal. He played in 122 games with 99 starts and intercepted 11 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown. He tied for the league lead with 8 INTs in 2006. He was named first team All-Pro twice and selected for three Pro Bowls.
Lito Sheppard – CB – 2011
Sheppard spent one season in Oakland after sevenin Philadelphia, one with the Jets and one with Minnesota. He played in 9 games with 7 starts.
Ron Bartell – CB – 2012
Bartell's one season in Oakland was derailed by injury. He played in 6 games with 6 starts. He played 1 game with Detroit after his release from the Raiders.
Mike Jenkins – CB – 2013
No. 21 is currently worn by a former first round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys. He played in 16 games with 15 starts and recorded 2 INTs, 1 forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Maurice Jones-Drew - RB - 2014 - present
Jones-Drew joined the Raiders as a free agent after 8 seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He appeared in 12 games with one start and carried the ball 43 times for 96 yards, and caught 11 passes for 71 yards.
