Raiders Had a "Killer" on the O-Line
Tackle Henry Lawrence of the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders was known to his teammates as “Killer,” but there probably has never been a nicer guy to play for the Silver and Black.
The story going around was that Lawrence got his name because he was a “Lady Killer.”
Lawrence wound up with the Raiders because Coach John Madden went to the 1974 Pro Bowl to check out defensive end Ed “Too Tall” Jones of Tennessee State, who wound up being the No. 1 draft choice of the Dallas Cowboys.
Madden saw Lawrence keep Jones in check during Senior Bowl practices.
“I went there to see ‘Too Tall’ and I see Henry constantly blocking him and holding him back,” Madden said. “We couldn’t get Jones because we weren’t high enough up in the draft, but I said we are going to get the guy who can block the No. 1 guy in the draft.
“Henry was one of the best I ever coached and one of my favorites probably because he was like a son to me. I felt like I discovered him, which I didn’t because he was a talent. But we stayed close. Some people are just special to you and that’s the way I feel about him. He was a big, strong tough guy who played with a lot of pride.”
The 6-4, 272-pound Lawrence was selected by the Raiders in the first round of the 1974 NFL Draft (No. 19 overall) out of Florida A&M, but he didn’t start right away because he went to a team that had one of the very best offensive lines in NFL history.
The Raiders had a center, Jim Otto, guard Gene Upshaw, and tackle Art Shell, who all are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, plus tackle John Vella and guard George Buehler, who might have been selected to the HOF had they played for other teams.
However, Lawrence was used often when the Raiders went to an extra lineman, became a full-time starter in his fourth season, 1977, and played in the Silver and Black victories in Super Bowls XI, XV, and XVIII—starting the last two.
During the Raiders’ 38-9 victory in Super Bowl XVIII, Lawrence made a devastating chain-reaction block that wiped out several Washington Redskins and helped clear the way for Marcus Allen to make his incredible 74-yard touchdown run.
Lawrence started 148 of the 187 games he played for the Raiders from 1974-86 and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1983 and 1984.
In the 1974 NFL Draft, the Raiders selected Lawrence ahead of tight end Dave Casper, who also made it to the Hall of Fame, and running back Mark van Eeghen, who became the franchise’s second-leading all-time rusher.
Lawrence appreciates what Managing General Partner Al Davis, a pioneer in bringing black players into pro football, did for him and the rest of the Raiders.
“The attitude then was if you came from a small black college you weren’t ready for the NFL and needed more coaching and that affected your contract,” said Lawrence, a two-time small college All-American who is a member of the Florida A&M Hall of Fame and the Black College Football Hall of Fame. “I tried to prove everybody wrong on that and I think I helped do that.
“I was pretty close to the Davis family. Al was made out to be a villain by a lot of people, but he did a lot of good things. … He was always there for you. The Raiders will never be the same because Al was different. It was his M.O., to go against the grain. But I am a Raider for life.”
Lawrence is 70 years old, but he still is a singer and musician whose group played at Raiders games in their final years in Oakland before moving to Las Vegas two seasons ago.
They even published a record.
“We sold a few, but I really didn’t pursue it from that angle,” Lawrence said. “I haven’t done enough to compare myself with anyone, but I’ll do almost anything. I used to do Teddy Pendergrass almost exclusively, but now I do stuff by Jerry Butler, Otis Redding, Luther Vandross. I like ballads. Jeffrey Osborne. I love the way Lionel Richie sings, Kenny Rogers, even Willie Nelson. I can do upbeat songs, too.
“I always loved music. I started playing the piano and the flute when I was in junior high, but I got wrapped up in football.”
Even without football, Lawrence still is just a “Killer.”
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