Raiders Sistrunk Was 'The Man From Mars'

The Raiders Otis Sistrunk may have been, "The Man from Mars," but his toughness brought players back to earth.

The Las Vegas Raiders have 11 undrafted free agents participating in training camp. They hope a few might make the roster and even become starters someday.

The Raiders’ best-ever undrafted free agent signing was defensive lineman Otis Sistrunk, but his situation was completely different than the players in this group.

Sistrunk never attended college, even though ESPN analyst Alex Karras quipped on Monday Night Football in 1974 that Sistrunk was from “The University of Mars,” when he saw Trunk sitting on the sideline with steam pouring off his bald head.

“When Alex said that, he put a tag on my back that has stayed with me ever since that game,” said Sistrunk, who played his entire seven-year NFL career with the Raiders. “It didn’t bother me. I told Alex I thought it was a joke. When they put a good tag on you, it just follows you.

“But it wasn’t a bad tag. It wasn’t a tag where I was caught doing cocaine or marijuana—because I don’t do drugs—or the tag of being a guy who spears quarterbacks. It was a good tag.”

Later, he became “The Man From Mars.”

Sistrunk went directly from William H. Spencer High School in Columbus, Ga., into the United States Marines late in the 1960s. After leaving the Marines at the age of 21, Sistrunk found work at a meat-packing plant in Milwaukee meat-packing plant and played two years of semi-pro football in the area for the West Allis Racers.

In 1969, Sistrunk joined the Norfolk Neptunes of the Continental Pro Football League and played three seasons with them, the last two in the semi-pro Atlantic Coast Football League after the CPFL folded.

In 1972, he wound up with the Raiders as a starter.

“Sistrunk, at 6-6, 265, was a mobile tackle with good quickness and length, and natural strength,” John Turney wrote in Pro Football Journal. “He was just one of those players who could just play football at any position along the line. Left tackle? No problem. Right defensive end in a 3-4? Sure. Left end in a four-man line? OK, coach. Right tackle in nickel? Got it. Nose tackle? Piece of cake.”

With the Raiders, Sistrunk teamed with Art Thoms at defensive tackle, and they called themselves “Salt and Pepper,” because Sistrunk is black and Thoms is white.

Unfortunately for Thoms, he was injured along with defensive ends Tony Cline and Horace Jones early in the 1976 season and didn’t get to play in Super Bowl XI. The Raiders signed defensive end John Matuszak and nose tackle Dave Rowe, going to a 3-4 defense by adding linebacker Willie Hall, who made several big plays.

Sistrunk was moved to defensive end and helped the Raiders go 16-1, beat the New England Patriots, 24-17, in the first round of the playoffs, the Pittsburgh Steelers, 24-7, in the American Football League Championship Game, and the Philadelphia Eagles, 32-14, in Super Bowl XI.

“We had to treat the Super Bowl like work,” said Sistrunk, who became the first player to compete on a winning Super Bowl team without going to college. “Just another day on the job. Just go out, do your work, win, and go home.

“We did and we won. When I played with the Raiders, it was like being part of a family. I loved every one of the guys from those teams.”

Sistrunk is another player who made more than his share of tackles, but we don’t know exactly how many because they were not a National Football League official statistic then.

However, we do know that in the 96 games (out of a possible 98) that Sistrunk played from 1972-78, he had 53 sacks, including 13 in 1973, 13.5 in 1975, and 11 in 1976, which played a role in the Raiders’ run to the Super Bowl.

In addition, Trunk had seven fumble recoveries, three pass interceptions, and once tackled an opposing player in the end zone for safety. Sistrunk was selected second-team All-Pro in 1974 and played in the Pro Bowl that season.

Not bad for "The Man from Mars," who didn’t go to college.

The Las Vegas Raiders opened training camp for the entire team on July 25, 2023.

The Silver and Black open the preseason by hosting the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Aug. 13, at 4 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. PDT.

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