19 Facts About Cliff Branch

Cliff Branch won three NFL championships with the Raiders in Super Bowl XI, XV and XVIII.

Cliff Branch was selected by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 1972 NFL Draft after playing college football for the Colorado Buffaloes.

Cliff Branch was posthumously elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022.

In track, Cliff Branch set an NCAA championship meet record in the 100 meters with a time of 10.0 seconds at the 1972 NCAA championships semifinal in Eugene, Oregon.

Cliff Branch was selected in the fourth round of the 1972 NFL Draft with the 98th overall pick by the Oakland Raiders.

Cliff 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.

Cliff Branch caught 60 passes for 13 touchdowns and 1,092 yards.

Cliff Branch went to the Pro Bowl while being named First-team All-Pro, owing to him leading the league in yards, touchdowns, and yards per game as a receiver.

Cliff Branch would have a four-year peak that resulted in Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections, 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 Cliff Branch caught nine combined passes in three games for under 50 yards each, but they still prevailed in the Super Bowl regardless.

Cliff Branch caught at least 27 passes in seven of those years for at least 400 yards, with the 1980 season being his last hit year.

On October 2,1983, Cliff 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.

Cliff Branch finished his NFL career with 501 receptions for 8,685 yards and 67 touchdowns.

Cliff Branch held the NFL career playoff records for receptions and receiving yards, which stood until they were broken by Jerry Rice in 1993 and 1994, respectively, while with the San Francisco 49ers.

Cliff Branch played for the Los Angeles Cobras of the Arena Football League in 1988, their only season of existence.

Minus Swann, Cliff Branch had comparable statistics to each of those players as each have over 500 receptions and 8,000 yards.

Cliff Branch was a nominee to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and was a semifinalist in 2004 and 2010.

Cliff Branch died on August 3,2019, two days after his 71st birthday.

Cliff Branch's body was found in a hotel room in Bullhead City, Arizona.