Editing Cliff Branch (section)

==Professional career==
===Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders===
Branch was selected in the fourth round of the [[1972 NFL draft]] with the 98th overall pick by the [[Oakland Raiders]]. He spent his entire 14-year NFL career with the [[Oakland Raiders|Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders]], winning three [[Super Bowl ring]]s in [[Super Bowl XI]], [[Super Bowl XV]] and [[Super Bowl XVIII]].

Branch had a slow start to his career, as his 1972 season consisted of one start in 14 games with three combined catches for 41 yards. 1973 was slightly better, as he caught 19 catches for 290 yards in total for three touchdowns. In the October 14 game against the San Diego Chargers, he caught his first touchdown pass, doing so on a pass from [[Ken Stabler]] in the 27–17 win.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197310140sdg.htm|title=Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers - October 14th, 1973|website=[[Pro Football Reference]]|access-date=November 23, 2021}}</ref> His third season proved his moment. He caught 60 passes for 13 touchdowns and 1,092 yards (the former two were career highs). He went to the Pro Bowl while also being named First-team All-Pro, owing to him leading the league in yards, touchdowns, and yards per game as a receiver. In the postseason, he had his best game for the AFC Championship, where he caught nine passes for 186 yards and a touchdown, but the Raiders lost to the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] 24–13.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197412290rai.htm|title=AFC Championship - Pittsburgh Steelers at Oakland Raiders - December 29th, 1974|website=[[Pro Football Reference]]|access-date=November 23, 2021}}</ref> In his 22 games as a receiver in the postseason, it was the first of three 100-yard games and it was the most catches he had in said game.

Branch would have a four-year peak that resulted in Pro Bowl (four) and All-Pro selections (three), with the 1976 season resulting in a career high 1,111 yards to go with 12 touchdowns on 46 catches. That year, the Raiders won their first championship, and Branch caught nine combined passes in three games for under 50 yards each, but they still prevailed in the Super Bowl regardless.<ref name="TODAY">{{cite news |last1=Middlehurst-Schwartz |first1=Michael |title=Former Raiders great Cliff Branch dies at 71 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2019/08/03/cliff-branch-dies-oakland-raiders/1913507001/ |access-date=August 4, 2019 |work=USA Today |language=en}}</ref><!--COMMENT OUT TILL SOURCE ADDED Branch caught 3 passes for 20 yards in Super Bowl XI, 5 passes for 62 yards and 2 touchdowns in Super Bowl XV, and 6 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown in Super Bowl XVIII.--> In his final season of play with the Raiders in [[1985 Los Angeles Raiders season|1985]],<ref>{{cite news|title=It's a new arena for Cliff Branch|date=April 30, 1988|agency=AP|newspaper=Times-Advocate|page=B2|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34548986/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> his season ended prematurely when he was placed on the [[injured reserve list]].<ref name=heisler_08301986/> In [[1986 Los Angeles Raiders season|1986]], he again landed on the reserve list after suffering a [[pulled hamstring]] during the preseason.<ref name=heisler_08301986>{{cite news|last=Heisler|first=Mark|title=Captains Dalby, Jensen Dropped by the Raiders|date=August 30, 1986|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|at=Part III, pp. 1, 9|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34546162/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

After having caught 212 passes for 3,967 yards and 43 touchdowns in his first six years, Branch played the remaining eight seasons with steady but eventual decline. He caught at least 27 passes in seven of those years for at least 400 yards, with the 1980 season (44 catches, 858 yards, 7 touchdowns) being his last hit year.

On October 2, [[1983 Los Angeles Raiders season|1983]], Branch caught the longest pass by a Raider, as he caught a 99-yard pass from [[Jim Plunkett]] in the second quarter versus the [[Washington Redskins]]. It was his only catch in the 37–35 loss, but he remains the only Raider to catch a 99-yard pass.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198310020was.htm|title=Los Angeles Raiders at Washington Redskins - October 2nd, 1983|website=[[Pro Football Reference]]|access-date=November 23, 2021}}</ref>

1983 would see the Los Angeles Raiders rather easily defeat Pittsburgh and Seattle in the AFC playoffs to make Super Bowl XVIII where they would play the defending champion Washington Redskins. Branch would catch 6 passes for 94 yards and score a touchdown in the Raiders 38–9 win, giving the Raiders their 3rd Super Bowl win for the franchise and Branch played in all 3 of them.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198401010rai.htm|title=Divisional Round - Pittsburgh Steelers at Los Angeles Raiders - January 1st, 1984|website=[[Pro Football Reference]]|access-date=November 23, 2021}}</ref> Branch finished his NFL career with 501 receptions for 8,685 yards and 67 touchdowns.<ref name="TODAY" /><ref name="Fox" /><!--COMMENT OUT TILL SOURCE ADDED   He also rushed for 70 yards and returned 9 kickoffs for 191 yards.--> In 20 playoff contests, he compiled 73 receptions for 1,289 yards, an average of 17.7 yards per catch, and five touchdowns.<ref>{{cite news|last=McDonald|first=Jerry|title=Raiders legend Cliff Branch dies at 71|date=August 3, 2019|newspaper=The Mercury News|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/08/03/raiders-legend-cliff-branch-dies-at-71/|access-date=August 4, 2019}}</ref> He held the NFL career playoff records for receptions and receiving yards,<ref>{{cite news|title=Super Bowl: New Records|date=January 24, 1984|newspaper=The Berkshire Eagle|agency=UPI|page=32|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34548366/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> which stood until they were broken by [[Jerry Rice]] in 1993 and 1994, respectively, while with the [[San Francisco 49ers]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Jerry Rice sets postseason record|agency=AP|date=January 18, 1993|newspaper=The Star-Democrat|page=2B|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34547275/|quote=He overtook Cliff Branch, formerly of the Raiders, who had 73 receptions in the postseason.|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Mitchell|first=Fred|title=YOUNG-AIKMAN DUEL SPARKS NFC FINAL|date=January 23, 1994|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1994-01-23-9401230207-story.html|access-date=August 4, 2019|quote=Rice also holds the career playoff receiving record with 78 catches and needs 67 yards (1,223 postseason) to surpass Cliff Branch (1,289) as the NFL's all-time leader.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Cole|first=Jason|title=REED REACHES MILESTONE|date=January 24, 1994|newspaper=Sun Sentinel|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1994-01-24-9401240063-story.html|access-date=August 4, 2019|quote=San Francisco's Jerry Rice is the all-time leader with 1,306.}}</ref>  Among his individual accolades were being selected to four consecutive [[Pro Bowl]] teams (1974, 1975, 1976, and 1977), and three times being selected as a first-team [[All-Pro]] (1974, 1975, 1976).<ref name="PFR">{{Cite web |title=Cliff Branch Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BranCl00.htm |access-date=2024-04-16 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>  In addition, he led the NFL in receiving yards once (1974) and receiving touchdowns twice (1974, 1976).<ref name = PFR/>