Rod Martin obit

Raiders Super Bowl legend dies at 72

 

He was not on the list.

Las Vegas Raiders Super Bowl hero Rod Martin has died, the Review-Journal learned Monday.

He was 72 years old.

The linebacker was a 12th-round pick of the Raiders from USC in 1977 and played 12 seasons .......We hope you appreciate our content. Subscribe today to continue reading this story, and all of our stories.

Roderick 'Rod' Martin, the cerebral Raiders linebacker who holds the enduring NFL record for the most interceptions in a single Super Bowl, passed away on April 18, 2026, at the age of 72. Known as the 'thinking man's linebacker,' Martin transformed from a 12th-round longshot into a two-time champion and a respected computer systems manager.

Born in Welch, West Virginia, Martin moved to Los Angeles at age 12 in 1968. He graduated from Alexander Hamilton High School in 1972 as a standout linebacker for the Yankees. After two years at Los Angeles City College, he transferred to the University of Southern California, earning First-team All-Pac-8 honors in 1976. Despite his collegiate success, the Oakland Raiders selected him late in the 1977 NFL Draft as the 317th overall pick in the 12th round.

Former Raiders Head Coach Tom Flores validated his football intelligence early on. "Rod Martin was one of the most underrated players in the history of the game," Flores said. "He was a great athlete, but he was also a very smart player who always knew where the ball was going."

This analytical preparation collided with NFL history during Super Bowl XV against the Philadelphia Eagles. Martin set an enduring record by intercepting three passes in the championship game, a feat recognized by Guinness World Records. His performance proved that intellectual diagnosis was as lethal as physical force, earning him a spot on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

He spent his entire 12-season career with the Raiders in Oakland and Los Angeles, winning a second title in Super Bowl XVIII. He earned consecutive Pro Bowl selections in 1983 and 1984, First-team All-Pro honors in 1984, and the UPI AFC Defensive Player of the Year award in 1983. He finished his career with 14 interceptions, 33.5 sacks, and 10 fumble recoveries, scoring six total defensive touchdowns, according to Pro Football Reference.

His transition away from the gridiron bridged two seemingly disparate worlds. Martin became a programmer and manager of technical and user support services at the USC Information Sciences Institute. This career as a computer systems manager was not a departure from his football life, but a continuation of the same processing power that defined his defensive play.

He was married to Regina Martin and raised two daughters, Jessica and Jade, who both became collegiate athletes. In 2021, he was inducted into the Los Angeles City Section Hall of Fame, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.

Martin leaves behind a legacy defined by anticipation and intellect. He saw the game several steps ahead of everyone else, processing formations and tendencies with the precision of the mainframes he later managed. As former Raiders teammate Jeff Barnes noted, "He was the thinking man's linebacker. Rod had a way of diagnosing plays before they happened, which is why he was always in the right spot."

Martin went to Hamilton High School class of 1972; two years ahead of NFL hall of fame quarterback Warren Moon (c/o 1974).

Martin was one of the top linebackers in the NFL during his 12 seasons and made the Pro Bowl twice during his career, in 1983 and 1984. Selected in the twelfth round of the 1977 NFL draft, Martin was initially a 210 lb (95 kg) tweener, undersized for a linebacker and slow for a safety, but eventually bulked up to 220–225. In 1978, his second year, Martin started 8 games, filling in at inside linebacker By 1979, he settled in at the weak-side LB spot, becoming a mainstay on the Raider defense, assisting the Silver & Black to two Super Bowl victories (1980, 1983 seasons) and having an outstanding performance in each one. In Super Bowl XV, Martin recorded a Super Bowl record three interceptions from Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski, and returned them for 44 yards. His interceptions were not only a Super Bowl record, but they also tied linebacker Chuck Howley's record for career Super Bowl interceptions. Between the two players, Martin is the only one to have recorded all 3 of his interceptions in one game. In Super Bowl XVIII, Martin broke up a third down pass on his own 7-yard line in the second quarter, sacked Joe Theismann once, tackled Washington Redskins Hall of Fame running back John Riggins for no gain on a fourth down and one conversion attempt deep in Raiders territory on the last play of the third quarter, and recovered a fumble in the final period.

A legendary NFL coach found linebacker Rod Martin not by scouting him at USC, but almost by accident.

The Oakland Raiders had a throwaway 12th-round pick in the 1977 draft, and then-coach John Madden grew frustrated hearing his personnel executives contemplate using it on a basketball player or track guy. Finally, Madden blurted out that he could find a random kid walking around the USC campus in sandals who could have more of an influence than that.

“Ron Wolf says, 'All right, smart guy,'" recalled Madden’s son, Mike. “So they were a couple picks away and dad goes, 'Let me call [USC coach] John Robinson.'"

Robinson had one question: Has Rod Martin been drafted? Some of his first teammates include Mark van Eeghen, Clarence Davis, Lester Hayes, Mike Davis. Ken Stabler, Cliff Branhc, Mike Haynes, Dave Casper, Ray Guy, Willie Brown, Art Shell, Dave Dalby, Ted Hendricks, Jack Tatum and Jim Plunkett.