Considering all the disappointment John Madden and the Raiders had endured in the previous nine seasons, it’s easy to understand why he was a little antsy on the morning of Jan. 9, 1977.
“You finally get to the Super Bowl and the first thing on your mind is don’t be late for the damn thing,” Madden said in a recent phone interview.
So on the day the Raiders would face Minnesota in Super Bowl XI in Pasadena, Madden decided to move up the team bus’ departure time about 30 minutes.
In those pre-Internet/cell phone days, word didn’t travel as quickly and smoothly as it does today.