"Sea of Hands" Revisited: 50 Years Later

By Mike Taylor | Editor-in-Chief, Historical Content

This month marks the Golden Anniversary of the 1974 AFC Divisional Round clash between the Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders that has famously come to be known as the "Sea of Hands" game.

Let's flash back to the play from the playoff contest that fits into late Raiders Owner and Pro Football Hall of Famer Al Davis' often-stated reference that the Silver and Black "…have had the greatest players, the greatest coaches, the greatest plays and been involved in the greatest games in the annals of professional sports." The game is also rightly celebrated and honored by the NFL, which placed it on their list of "100 Greatest Games" in the history of professional football.

THE DATE: Saturday, December 21, 1974. Kickoff: 1:10 p.m. PST

THE LOCATION: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California.

THE SETTING: Overcast, 53 degrees with 74 percent humidity and 5 mph winds coming from the south. Tickets issued, 54,020; Actual attendance 52,817.

THE LINEUP: The Raiders were led by Head Coach John Madden, who would later enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Ken Stabler, whose career led to him also being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was the Raiders quarterback. The wide receivers on the field additionally became members of pro football's ultimate fraternity as the busts of Fred Biletnikoff and Cliff Branch reside in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Three more Hall of Famers, left tackle Art Shell, left guard Gene Upshaw and center Jim Otto, were joined on the offensive line by right guard George Buehler and right tackle John Vella. Bob Moore lined up at tight end and the backfield was manned by fullback Marv Hubbard and last — but certainly not least — halfback Clarence Davis.

The Raiders roster included four other eventual Hall Famers — tight end Dave Casper, cornerback Willie Brown, punter Ray Guy and quarterback/kicker George Blanda.

While these Raiders served in supporting roles, the co-stars in this one-act play were Stabler and Davis, who performed to Oscar-winning standards and who are forever linked.

The antagonists were the Dolphins — led by Hall of Fame Coach Don Shula and six other players who would be enshrined — attempting to three-peat after posting wins in Super Bowls VII and VIII. There was also a two-way revenge factor in play as the Raiders snapped Miami's 18-game winning streak the previous season with a 12-7 win in a game played at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley. Miami came back to beat the Raiders in the AFC Championship Game that year before advancing to their second straight Super Bowl.

THE PASSER AND RECEIVER: Stabler, AKA "Snake," was selected in the second round of the 1968 Draft, but didn't see any action until 1970. He took over as the Raiders' starting quarterback in 1973 and had a solid season, earning his first Pro Bowl nod after leading the league with a 62.7 pass completion percentage. Stabler elevated his play even further in 1974, passing for 2,469 yards and 26 touchdowns and was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player.

Davis was selected by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 1971 NFL Draft and finished third on the team in rushing as a rookie. He ranked third on the team in rushing in 1972 and 1973 before becoming a full-time starter in 1974, when he finished second on a squad whose primary runner was the fullback.

THE RESET: Thirty-five seconds left in the game. Miami Dolphins 26-Oakland Raiders 21. The Raiders had the ball with a first-and-goal on the Miami eight-yard line.

THE PLAY: The lead had exchanged hands seven times during this contest that pitted the AFC West Champion Raiders and Miami, winners of the AFC East. The Coliseum scoreboard clock ticked from :35 to :26 when the advantage would shift a final time in favor of the Raiders on the play that is cemented in pro football history. Stabler donned his black jersey imprinted with silver No. 12 digits, his customary white T-shirt hanging out from under the sleeves and a towel which dangled from his waist.

The Raiders were in "21 personnel" with Biletnikoff lined up wide right, hands on hips while standing upright, right leg set back for take-off, which was the customary wide receiver's stance of that era. Branch was wide left, utilizing a similar stance, and Moore was positioned in-line next to Vella. Davis and Hubbard were split in the backfield behind Stabler, who took the snap from under center. The quarterback utilized a seven-step drop and, operating from a clean pocket, surveyed the field while being provided with stellar protection from his star-studded offensive line as all five eligibles ran routes and all except Moore were positioned in the end zone where signs that included "Fish Fry Today" hung from the base of the stands.

"Snake" looked right for his first option, Biletnikoff, who was bracketed by two defenders. He then scanned to the left for his second option, Hubbard, before encountering leakage to his right. The pressure caused Stabler to speed up his internal play clock and proceed toward the line of scrimmage. Stabler's advance made it appear that he may take a stab at running it in, which certainly was not his strong point. This was a player who rushed for minus-two yards on 12 attempts in 1974.

Although he was a running quarterback in college and early on in his pro career, knee injuries took away that aspect of his game. Stabler had become a quintessential drop passer who utilized what became his strong points — his left arm, uncanny sense of timing and well-known play-making ability. Those three elements all came into play during this legendary moment. Meanwhile, his receivers all went into scramble drill mode, looking to free themselves and give Stabler a viable target to connect with.

As Stabler stepped up, his eyes still affixed upfield on potential receiving targets, Dolphins defensive end Vern Den Herder grabbed ahold of his legs. Davis, surrounded by three Miami defenders, presented his No. 28 as a target for the passer while working to get open. Stabler's innate reflexes took over and, while falling to the natural grass, synced with Davis and lofted a wobbly pass into the left-center of the end zone at the base of the first "A" inscripted that spelled out OAKLAND.

In a "sea of hands," Miami safety Charlie Babb and linebacker Mike Kolen fruitlessly extended their fins with the Raiders running back also stretching out his hands that were characterized by friend and foe as notoriously bad. But this time, Davis was able to outmuscle the defenders, clutching the pigskin with both hands and pulling it tightly to his chest as he fell to the turf.

Ben Tompkins, back judge No. 52, raised his arms to signal a touchdown, and the crowd roared with adulation, standing to wave their black towels. Raiders players on the field and the sidelines all raised their hands in celebration.

That did not stop Miami defensive tackle Manny Fernandez from making a futile, frustrated attempt to dislodge the ball by pouncing on Davis, who was laying supine, football firmly secured, in the end zone. A shocked Fernandez uttered afterwards, "He makes the big catch to win it in the last 30 seconds. It was probably the only catch he ever made in his career."

An amazed Upshaw later proclaimed, "It goes to the guy with the worst hands on the team," while Villapiano remarked, "Clarence couldn't catch a cold."

Yet another Pro Football Hall of Famer who was in the building, Raiders Personnel Executive Ron Wolf, was in accord with that sentiment. "Of all the people on the team that were eligible receivers, the one guy that you would never want to throw the ball to is Clarence Davis because he had boards for hands," Wolf said. "And guess what, at that moment, at that time of the game, he had the softest, surest hands in this history of the game."

Stabler had a different take on the heroics. "I tell them anybody can catch the easy ones. You gotta make the hard catch."

He was sure to let the world know that the true star, the award-winner in this epic, was his teammate: "Clarence Davis made the play; I certainly didn't make the play. … I get very little on the ball, it's kind of a dying duck, end-over-end deal back into a sea of hands in the end zone. It was an exciting play that will be re-lived because of Clarence's effort."

The catch left Biletnikoff amazed: "How Clarence held onto the ball, how he caught it, nobody knows. But he did it!"

Davis felt a higher calling in making the clutch play. "I outwrestled the other two guys, and didn't know I was that strong," he stated in the victorious locker room. "I did it by the grace of God and luck."

THE RADIO CALL: Bill King, in his ninth year as the Silver and Black play-by-play voice, deftly called the down the to Raider Radio Network listening audience. Many were in-stadium and equipped with transistors to enjoy the silver-tongued King known for his go-to maxim "Holy Toledo" exclaimed as only he could.

"Thirty-five seconds left, first-and-goal for Oakland, they trail 26-21. The promised land is eight yards away. Back to pass goes Stabler, looking, looking, looking. He runs, he's at the 15. He throws. It is (pause) A TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS! TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS!!"

Stabler was called upon again to serve as holder for Blanda. Aligned in his usual straight-on kicking style that was replaced throughout football at all levels decades ago in favor of the "soccer style" kick method, Blanda booted the extra point though the uprights to provide the final margin of victory, 28-26.

THE AFTERMATH: The Raiders knocked off the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Dolphins after qualifying for the postseason for the seventh time out of the past eight seasons and advanced to the AFC Championship Game for the second straight year.

Additionally, the victory added to the list of classic comebacks by Pro Football's Dynamic Organization.

Biletnikoff and linebacker Phil Villapiano recently reminisced about the Silver and Black's magnificent playoff triumph that took place 50 years ago.

"Time flies. When I think back to the Sea of Hands Game, I am amazed it was 50 years ago that we took down the Dolphins in front of our wild crowd," mused Villapiano, whose interception in the game's waning seconds secured the win.

"I can remember every play like it was yesterday. Especially the last one where (Dolphins quarterback Bob) Griese threw it right to me. It meant so much to our team, coaches and home crowd. We had to win it, and we did in dramatic style. Just Win Baby!"

"Fifty years was a long time ago," Biletnikoff added. "When you get two great teams on the field to challenge each other in a game to see who has the desire to reach down and battle to show greatness and believe in each other, it's remarkable. We had great legendary players who knew that. To be able to battle through adversity and win only shows what our entire team knew.

"Someone was going to show up and make that one play. All of us will never forget Clarence and his desire to battle for the football. It will always be a legendary play made by a legendary Raider player C.D. From the start, our fans had that Oakland Coliseum rockin' all the way to the final gun!"

Top illustration by Harrison Freeman.