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Fred Biletnikoff  

He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988.

Fred Biletnikoff had a stellar career as a wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders. During his 14 years in pro football, he caught 589 passes for 8,974 yards and 76 touchdowns. He played from 1965 to 1978.

Along with another Hall of Fame receiver, Raymond Berry, Biletnikoff held the record for having caught 40 or more passes in 10 consecutive seasons. His 70 catches, 1,167 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns in 19 post-season games were also NFL post-season career records.

Fred came to the Raiders as their No. 2 draft pick in 1965. As an All-American in 1964 at Florida State, Biletnikoff caught 4 touchdown passes in his team's Gator Bowl victory over Oklahoma. Fred also played in the College All-Star game before reporting to training camp. Biletnikoff started as a special teams player and did not see action as a receiver until the 7th game of his rookie season.

In his first start, he had a seven-catch, 118-yard performance and, in the process, became a regular for good. A durable, dependable performer, Biletnikoff missed only 8 games because of injury in 14 seasons.

Biletnikoff, a native of Erie, PA, reached the height of a career filled with outstanding achievements when he caught 4 passes for 79 yards to set up three Oakland scores in the Raiders' 32-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI. He was named the game's Most Valuable Player.

Biletnikoff played in two AFL All-Star games and four AFC-NFC Pro Bowl games as well as 3 AFL and 5 AFC championship games, plus Super Bowls II and XI.

He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988.

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