HENDERSON, Nev. -- The stats speak for themselves -- 501 career catches for 8,685 yards and 67 touchdowns with four Pro Bowl nods and three All-Pro selections in an era that was anything but friendly to the passing game -- but as former Las Vegas Raiders receiver Cliff Branch is about to be posthumously inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, there is more to say.
More than simply pointing out that he caught a pass against every team that existed in the NFL between 1960 and 1994. Or that his 6,047 receiving yards from 1974 to 1980 led the NFL in that span, and that he averaged 24.