Raiders Super Bowl legend Rod Martin dies at 72, team announces

TL;DR

Rod Martin, a legendary linebacker for the Raiders, has died at 72. He was a key player in the team's Super Bowl victories in 15 and 18.

Key points

Rod Martin was a linebacker for the Raiders.
He won Super Bowl 15 and 18 with the team.
Martin died at the age of 72.
The Raiders announced his passing on social media.
He is remembered as a key player in Raiders history.

Mentioned in this story

Rod MartinLas VegasOaklandLos Angeles

RaidersSuper Bowl 15Super Bowl 18

Raiders Super Bowl legend Rod Martin dies at 72, team announces

The Raiders have lost a hero from their glory years.

Rod Martin, a starting linebacker for the Oakland Raiders when they won Super Bowl 15 and for the Los Angeles Raiders when they prevailed in Super Bowl 18 has died at the age of 72. The team, now based in Las Vegas, confirmed Martin's death on social media.

"The Raiders family is deeply saddened by the passing of Rod Martin, a standout linebacker and key player on two Super Bowl championship teams," read a statement distributed by the team.

It went on to say: "A beloved member of the Raiders Family and a favorite of Raiders fans everywhere, the deepest condolences of the entire Raider Nation are with Rod's family at this time."

Martin is best known for setting a Super Bowl record with three interceptions on a singular Super Sunday, pilfering Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski thrice in Oakland's 27-10 victory in Super Bowl 15, making the 1980 Raiders the first wild-card team to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. That game, played Jan. 15, 1981, was also notable for occurring five days after 52 Americans were released after being held hostage in Iran for 444 days. The New Orleans Superdome, site of the game, was wrapped in a yellow ribbon. Martin's heroics that day were immortalized by NFL Films and with a "Sports Illustrated" cover.

Three years later, Martin came up big again, recording a sack and recovering a fumble as the L.A. Raiders thrashed a heavily favored Washington squad 38-9 in Tampa. It was also the last time the Raiders, once among the NFL's flagship franchises, won the Super Bowl.

Yet Martin was also an excellent player when the lights weren't at their brightest. A 12th-round draft pick out of USC in 1977, he was a two-time Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro in 1984. He retired after the 1988 season, finishing with 56½ career sacks and 14 regular-season interceptions, four of which he returned for touchdowns.