KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Former Raiders linebacker Rod Martin passed away at age 72, the team announced Monday
• Holds the Super Bowl record with three interceptions in Super Bowl XV (1980 season)
• Played all 12 NFL seasons with the Raiders, earning two championship rings
• A two-time Pro Bowler and 1984 first-team All-Pro selection
• No cause of death has been disclosed

THE NEWS

The Raiders family is mourning the loss of a legend. Rod Martin, a cornerstone linebacker on two Super Bowl championship teams, died at the age of 72, the organization confirmed Monday.

Martin was drafted in the 12th round out of USC in 1977 — the kind of pick most teams discard, but not the Raiders. He played all 12 of his NFL seasons in Silver and Black, appearing in 165 games with 147 starts across Oakland and Los Angeles. He earned two Pro Bowl selections and was named a first-team All-Pro in 1984.

But it was what he did on football’s biggest stage that cemented his legacy. In Super Bowl XV against the Philadelphia Eagles, Martin set a record that still stands nearly 50 years later — three interceptions in a single Super Bowl game. The Raiders won 27-10, and Martin’s performance ensured the Eagles’ offense never found rhythm. Three years later, he recorded a sack and a fumble recovery in Super Bowl XVIII, another dominant Raiders victory, 38-9 over Washington.

Beyond the statistics, Martin left an impression on fans who encountered him off the field. Stories circulated online of chance meetings at Walmart, where he’d spend 20 minutes talking about the old days. Fans called him “one of the greatest to ever do it” — gracious, present, the kind of man who represented what the Raiders stood for.

The organization described his passing as a source of deep sadness. No cause of death has been disclosed.