Fred Biletnikoff (born February 23, 1943 in Erie, Pennsylvania) is a retired American football player. His position was wide receiver. Biletnikoff was the first consensus All-American football player at Florida State University. After college, he was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 1965 American Football League draft, and by the Detroit Lions in the third round of the 1965 NFL Draft. Biletnikoff signed with the Raiders, and he spent his entire professional playing career in Oakland, and retired after the 1978 season.
Biletnikoff was known as a wily, sure-handed receiver who made clutch catches to keep crucial drives alive. He had an uncanny ability to get open, even when everyone in the stadium knew that the ball was coming his way. He played in both Super Bowls II and XI, in which he was named MVP. He also played in five AFC Championships, three American Football League title games, four Pro Bowls and two American Football League All-Star games.
Biletnikoff's career total of 589 receptions is relatively unimpressive by today's standards, but it was a remarkable achievement in the more run-oriented 60s and 70s, when the regular season was only 14 games long. The same can be said of his record of 10 straight seasons with 40 or more receptions.
Biletnikoff began his career in coaching soon after his retirement. He served on the coaching staff of the Montreal Alouettes (1980), Orange Glen High School (1982), Palomar Junior College (1983), Diablo Valley Junior College (1984), Oakland Invaders (1985), Arizona Wranglers (1986) and Calgary Stampeders (1987-88). He is currently wide receivers coach for the Raiders.
In 1991, Biletnikoff was voted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The Fred Biletnikoff Award, awarded annually to the best wide receiver in college football since 1994, was named in his honor.
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on July 30, 1988.
