He Made One of the NFL's Most Iconic Plays

Jack Squirek, famous for his Super Bowl pick-six, dies at age 64
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 7, 2024 6:30 AM CST
His Super Bowl Play Is Part of NFL Lore
Jack Squirek celebrates after his famous interception.   (YouTube/NFL)

The name Jack Squirek may not be a familiar one to most football fans, but the former Raider is being remembered upon his death for what NBC's Pro Football Talk calls "one of the most iconic plays in NFL history." Squirek died Friday after a bout with an unspecified illness at the age of 64. He had a short career, and his famous play came in Super Bowl XVIII in 1984, per USA Today. With the Raiders up 14-3 against the Washington Redskins late in the first half, the second-year linebacker intercepted a pass from Joe Theismann and ran it in about 5 yards for a touchdown. Watch the moment via NFL.com, which ranks it as No. 19 among all-time clutch plays in the Super Bowl.

The play proved to a be a "game breaker," as the Raiders went on to win 38-9, and it soon gained greater fame when it was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. That cover "blew me away," Squirek told SI in a 2011 interview. Before the game, "he was a little-known reserve linebacker hoping to avoid embarrassing mistakes while contributing to a triumph," the magazine notes. Adding to the moment: The Raiders' linebacker coach put the quick Squirek on the field for that play because he correctly predicted the Washington play call. Squirek played four seasons with the Raiders, but injuries forced an end to his NFL career in 1986. (Read other notable obituaries.)

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