Former Raiders linebacker Jack Squirek died Friday after a battle with an illness, the team announced. He was 64.
Squirek’s interception return for a touchdown in Super Bowl XVIII remains one of the iconic plays in NFL history. He intercepted a Joe Theismann screen pass intended for Joe Washington and returned it 12 yards for a touchdown to give the Raiders a 21-3 lead in what turned into a 38-9 win.
Squirek’s run to the end zone made the cover of Sports Illustrated, one of the most memorable covers in the magazine’s illustrious history.
The Raiders made Squirek a second-round pick out of Illinois in 1982, and he played 53 games with the team before finishing his career with one season in Miami.
He played 55 games, with eight starts, in his career and made only one interception in the regular season.
“The thoughts and deepest condolences of the Raider Nation are with the Squirek family at this time,” the Raiders said in a statement.
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