Winning the Big One

The Raiders raised the silver in Pasadena’s sun,

And half a century later still the banners rise.

Remember how the winter game in ’77 was won.

Stabler’s arm was calm when all the damage had been done,

Biletnikoff cut seams and fooled the Viking spies.

The Raiders raised the silver in Pasadena’s sun.

Tatum hit like thunder, Branch could not be outrun,

Madden grinned, defiant, through the roaring skies.

Remember how the winter game in ’77 was won.

Willie Brown’s late pick-six came walking for the fun,

A 75-yard coda no Minnesota man denies.

The Raiders raised the silver in Pasadena’s sun.

Fifty years have passed since Oakland’s work was done,

Yet Rose Bowl echoes keep the score and the prize.

Remember how the winter game in ’77 was won.

So toast the men in black and silver, every one,

Their legacy still gleams while time and seasons fly.

The Raiders raised the silver in Pasadena’s sun,

Remember how the winter game in ’77 was won.