For a total of 100 days, we'll take a look at the men who have played for the Raiders jersey number by jersey number. This series will highlight some of the greatest players in NFL history. In some cases, the player and jersey number are synonymous. In other cases, the jersey number represents sustained greatness at a particular position. Some players are superstitious about their jersey number. Whatever the case may be, jersey numbers are an important part of the fabric of professional football.
Art Shell and Gene Upshaw formed one of the most potent guard-tackle combinations in pro football history. Raiders.com.
Twelve players have worn jersey No. 78 in Raiders history, including a Hall of Fame left tackle who went on to become the team's head coach, twice.
Ron Warzeka – DE – 1960
Originally selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the 14th round of the 1957 NFL Draft, Warzeka played in 14 games for the Raiders in 1960.
Bob Voight – DT – 1961
Voight was originally drafted by the Vikings in 1961. He played in 14 games for the Raiders that year.
Frank Youso – T – 1963-65
Youso joined the Raiders after three years with the New York Giants and two with the Minnesota Vikings. He played in 29 games for the Raiders.
Rex Mirich – DT – 1966
Mirich played for the Raiders from 1964-66, and wore No. 87 from 1964-65 before switching to No. 78 in 1966. In all, Mirich played in 42 games for Oakland.
Dan Archer – T – 1967
Archer played in 14 games for the Raiders in 1967 and went on to play for the Cincinnati Bengals in 1968.
Art Shell – T – 1968-82
The Raiders selected Shell in the 3rd round of the 1968 NFL Draft out of Maryland-Eastern Shore. He played in 207 games with 169 starts. Shell was selected for eight Pro Bowls, was named 1st Team All-Pro twice, played in 23 playoff games and was a key member of two Raiders Super Bowl championship teams (1976, 1980). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989. Shell also served two stints as head coach of the Silver and Black.
John Clay – T – 1987
The Raiders selected Clay in the 1st round of the 1987 NFL Draft out of Missouri. He played in 10 games with nine starts before going on to play with San Diego in 1988.
Tim Rother – DT – 1989-90
The Raiders selected Rother in the 4th round of the 1988 NFL Draft out of Nebraska. He played in 20 games for the Raiders.
Greg Skrepenak – T – 1992-95
The Raiders selected Skrepenak in the 2nd round of the 1992 NFL Draft out of Michigan. He played in 36 games with 24 starts for the Raiders. He went on to play two seasons for the Carolina Panthers.
Chad Slaughter – T – 2003-06
An undrafted free agent out of Alcorn State, Slaughter played in 43 games with seven starts with the Raiders. He played for the Baltimore Ravens in 2008.
Fred Wakefield – OL/DL – 2008
Wakefield joined the Raiders after playing defensive end, tackle and tight end for the Cardinals from 2001-06. He played in seven games for the Raiders in 2008.
Justin Ellis - DT - 2014-present
Drafted in the fourth round (No. 107) overall in the 2014 NFL Draft, Ellis earned the starting job in Week 3 and started during 14 games during his rookie campaign, totaling 21 solo tackles.
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