Raiders FB Miller Was Best Man on the Block

While not a household name, fullback Alan Miller is one of the key building blocks Al Davis used to build the Silver and Black Raiders into a superpower franchise.

Fullback Alan Miller is another long-forgotten player who helped turn the Oakland Raiders around during the 1960s and eventually helped the Silver and Black become a powerhouse in professional football.

Much of that is because he played only four memorable seasons for the Raiders, from 1961-65, skipping 1964.

The 6-foot, 220-pound Miller was a two-way starter at halfback and defensive back over three seasons at Boston College before the Philadelphia Eagles selected him in the 19th round (No. 219 overall in the 1959 NFL Draft and put him at cornerback after he made the All-East team and played in the Senior Bowl.

“It wasn’t my position, but I was a good tackler,” said Miller, who played the entire preseason before being released by the Eagles in the final cut before the season started.

That sent Miller to the American Football League, and he joined the Boston Patriots, rushing for 416 yards, an averaged 4.1 yards per carry, and two touchdowns addition to catching 29 passes for 284 yards and two more scores.

However, the Patriots traded Miller to the Raiders before the 1961 season for quarterback Babe Parelli.

Miller played for Oakland from 1961 to ‘63, took 1964 to complete law school and returned in 1965. He was a starter at fullback all four seasons and played in the 1961 AFL All-Star game. The New York Daily News named him second-team All-AFL in 1961.

Miller never missed a game during his four full seasons, rushing for 979 yards and eight touchdowns while catching 111 passes for 1,186 yards and nine more scores, but those weren’t his top skills.

“I was considered to be the best blocker in the league, among running backs " Miller said.

Miller led All-AFL running back Clem Daniels to rush for 766 yards and six touchdowns in 1962, an AFL-leading 1,099 yards and three scores in 1963, and 884 yards and five TDs in 1965 before retiring.

“It was great having Miller in front of me because he always went he right way and threw a good block on the first defender he ran into, whether it was a lineman, linebacker or defensive back,” said Daniels, the AFL’s 1963 Most Valuable Player and a member of the All-Time AFL team.

Raiders Coach and General Manager Al Davis called Miller “pound for pound, the toughest player in the league, and he means so much to our offense.”

Hall of Fame center Jim Otto wrote in his book, The Pain of Glory: “Alan might have been the Raiders’ most intelligent player ever ... he used his intelligence on the football field. He had different ways of blocking people and also getting open on pass routes.”

Miller retired following the 1965 season at 28. After graduating No. 2 in his law class at Boston University, he joined a prominent firm in Milwaukee. He also had a disabled daughter who needed more of his attention.

“My daughter needed more care and I was under pressure from my law firm to come to work full time,” Miller said. “I walked away after the best year I ever had. It was the biggest mistake I ever made.”

Upon completing his football and law school career, Miller served as general counsel to the American and National Football League Players Association from 1967 to 1972. In 2007, Miller was awarded the Silver Shingle Award from the Boston University School of Law for distinguished service to the legal profession.

Miller also served as legal counsel to the World Football League Players Association and worked for NBC television as a color commentator for NFL games.

Miller is a motorsports attorney and has been an agent representing various stars such as Jimmie Johnson, Helio Castroneves, Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., Danica Partick, Casey Mears, and Greg Moore.

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