Fred Biletnikoff

Full Name: Frederick S. Biletnikoff

Birthdate: February 23, 1943

Birthplace: Erie, Pennsylvania

High School: Erie Tech (PA)

Elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame: January 30, 1988

Enshrined into Pro Football Hall of Fame: July 30, 1988

Presenter: Al Davis, Managing General Partner, Raiders

Other Members of Class of 1988: Mike Ditka, Jack Ham, Alan Page

Pro Career: 14 seasons, 190 games

Drafted: 2nd round by Oakland Raiders, AFL

Uniform Number: 25, (14)

Fred Biletnikoff Enshrinement Speech 1988

Presenter: Al Davis

Good morning. If the roar of the crowd of the people from Pittsburgh continues in a poor manner, we will see to it that the Hall of Fame is moved to the West Coast. I would like to say, and I know it is self-serving, but that for three memorable decades, that is the 60s, the 70s and the 80s the Oakland and now Los Angeles Raiders have had the greatest players, the greatest coaches, the greatest plays and performed in the greatest games ever played in the annals of sports. During the years of 1965 to 1978, the Raiders dominated pro football and all of other sports in terms of victory. The will to win has been a dominated theme of the Raiders organization and while no player in the history of the organization has epitomized that will more than Fred Biletnikoff. I will remember him most because he hated to lose. Like the owner speaking to you, he was a sore loser.

Among the greatest players the quarterbacks during these years of 65-78 were names like Tom Flores, Daryle Lamonica, the legendary George Blanda, the brilliant Ken Stabler, but there was one wide receiver who caught the passes of all of them, his name was Fred Biletnikoff. His number was 25. The Raiders signed Fred Biletnikoff under the goal posts on January 2, 1965 at the Gate Bowl for the Oakland Raiders and the AFL. He had just scored a record four touchdown passes as Florida State, his alma mater, beat Oklahoma. He had been a high school All-American from Erie. Biletnikoff played 14 seasons with the Raiders and in all those years the Raiders never had a losing season.

His three touchdown receptions in the 1968 playoff game against Kansas City Chiefs, is a mark never surpassed in NFL playoff history. His 10 seasons with 40 or more pass receptions per season in a row is an achievement equal only by Hall of Fame player Raymond Berry. In Super Bowl XI he was named most valuable player when the Raiders fortunately defeated the Minnesota Vikings. When Fred finished his 14 years as a Raider in 1978, he ranked first in the history of the NFL in both reception and reception yardage in the biggest games a professional athlete could play in, the post season playoffs. Even today his 10 touchdown catches in playoff games rank him second in NFL history. He did it against man to man, zone, combination and bump and run when few had ever seen this. He did it when the rule makers did not try to restrict the offense. I personally, and I have said this before, have had the good fortune to come to this Hall many times to come here and walk through its exhibits, to pay tribute to this great class. Jack Ham brings back the vicious memories of vicious battles in the 70s with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Michael Ditka. never seen a college athlete play a greater college football game then I saw Mike Ditka play against Notre Dame when he was a junior in college and, of course, the great Alan Page who we had our share of great moments with. And to the Class of 1978 and in whose glory we all share and to all the great alumni up here, there is a continuing realization when we come back to this Hall that we all owe them a debt and f or the Raiders and I for one will never forget that debt.

My life has been years of glory and a few days of defeat. Today is a day of glory for me. My wife, Carol, my son, Mark, Virginia the wife of the legendary coach John Madden, the brilliant Ken Stabler, the incomparable Cliff Branch, the indestructible Gene Upshaw, Tom Keating, Steve Sylvester, Pete Bank, they are all here today because Fred Biletnikoff has a special place in the hearts of the Raiders and especially his teammates who wore the fame silver and black because he wore those colors with pride, he wore them with poise, he wore them with class, be was a star among stars. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Oakland Coliseum and the thunderous roar of that crowd in that coliseum will live in our minds forever. Football ... Raider football bas always been an emotional game and Raider fans everywhere must get emotional when they remember Fred Biletnikoff. The loose sleeves flying on your back jersey with the fame silver 25, your socks hanging down below your boney knees, the long blonde hair flowing below the back of your helmet, the stick'em on your stockings, the black eyes and those hands, those magnificent bands extended at the last second to pluck the football out of the sky. You know, Fred gave credibility to the credo that plain old fashioness was not pass'e.

Thousands of young Americans were reminded that hard work, dedication and devotion still reap the rewards of victory. Genius, genius comes in many configurations. It comes in great size, in great strength, great speed and maybe once in every decade in great artistry. A man will walk softly into the valley of giants and be will make you wonder where is the body, where is the strength, where is the speed. How is he going to play a giant’s game, how is he going to compensate? And then you hope and you watch and then you wait and a miracle will happen and you will discover that this man can play the game, he can beat you not with great skill physically, not with a great athletic skill, but with the artifice, timing and execution and that was Fred Biletnikoff. When he had to catch a football, he went for it as if it were a dam in the heaven and the stars that nobody was going to stop him from catching the football and nobody could.

Fred Biletnikoff you are a great artist who for 14 glorious seasons used the football field as your canvas and your magnificent hands as pallet and brush to paint unforgettable moments for all football fans everywhere and add to the greatness of the Raiders to the NFL. You go to the Louve, the Proddel and the Hermitage and you will find the miracles of what men have rot with his hands and now it is Freddie's turn. From this day onward, the National Football League Hall of Fame will commemorate the miracles Freddie rot with his hand. While we cannot preserve Fred's works on a wall, we can treasure the memories of his artistry in this one hall, the great Hall of Fame. Fred Biletnikoff .... a great student of the Raiders fame passing game who always knew where the sideline was, who always knew where the first down line was and more importantly always knew where the goal line was. He loved his team, he loved his organization, he loved the great game of football. It is my honor for enshrinement into the Hall of Fame to present to you, the great Fred Biletnikoff.

Fred Biletnikoff

First of all, before I can get things out of my mouth, I want to recognize everyone who has been in the Hall of Fame before myself and before the other three gentlemen behind me. They were the pioneers of this game, among them were the Cleveland Browns who I watched on tv when I was a kid in Erie, PA. Getting an opportunity to become a part of this fraternity, you can't explain it. It is a close knit fraternity and you brave to have greatness and you have to have all the assets and attributes in order to be part of this fraternity and today, I want to just salute you people in the back and I am so proud to be part of you. Thank you very much.

This moment today, the excitement within me to have my friends from Erie, PA here, the kids I went to high school and knowing that forever they are always behind me and at times, not even knowing how much they were behind me and something like this and their being here and finally finding out how much they were behind me all the time, makes me feel so great I love all of you. You have been kind to me, and I will always have a place for you in my heart always and thank you for having me in your heart.

To my family, to my father sitting down here, to my mother who is looking down on the procedure right now, this ceremony, to my four lovely children they have tears and I don't yet, and my son, Fred, who was part of a Super Bowl with me in Pasadena, CA when I received the Most Valuable Player. No father can ever be prouder to have their son be part of something like that and my three daughters, I have one in the Air Force. I went with her to be inducted for four years and I never thought I could be so proud of somebody in my entire life to give themselves away for four years to their country.

To my two little daughters, Tracey and Natasha. Tracey has been probably more football and dragging her around to the various coaching jobs I have had and if there is a second son anybody could have ever had and looks as cute as she is, I love you very much and thank you for being a part of this Trace. And Natasha, she still doesn't know what her daddy does or did. She thought Canton, Ohio was all one word. Finally, last night she asked if I caught all those passes, and I said yes. To Jennifer, all those years you endured, all the beatings you took all the sacrifices you had to make, thank you. One other thing before I can get off this stage, I just want to say one more thing. I was proud to be a professional football player. And I am still happy it is still in my veins and everyone behind me is proud that they were professional football players and I love the game and I still love it and I hope it continues to get better and better so you people and the people that will follow us coming before you can feel the excitement and the happiness and all the emotion you people give. Thank you very much.