Rod Martin was always there.

The late Raiders linebacker, who passed away Monday at the age of 72, not only had a front-row seat to some of the biggest moments in team history, he also played a major part in them. He was an encyclopedia of knowledge in all things Silver and Black from his time with the organization, an integral source who witnessed, experienced and, yes, authored said moments.

Above all, he was a gentleman who always had time to chat and chop it up.

Following is an excerpt from a chapter I wrote on him in my 2014 tome, "100 Things Raiders Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die" with Triumph Books.

Rest easy, Rod…

Were Rod Martin a bitter man, one that harbors resentment, he'd have a lot of fuel for that fire. But he's not. Martin is comfortable in his own skin. He knows what he accomplished in helping the Raiders win a pair of Super Bowls, even if he's somewhat forgotten to the more ill-informed despite having two of the best individual defensive performances in Super Bowl history.

Consider: in Super Bowl XV, he had a record three interceptions and recovered a fumble against the Philadelphia Eagles. Three years later, he had a sack, recovered a fumble and stopped Washington's John Riggins on a key 4th and 1.

Thing is, Jim Plunkett's Lazarus story came to fruition against the Eagles and he was named the game's MVP and, in Super Bowl XVIII, his stuffing of Riggins came one play before Marcus Allen unveiled the greatest run in Super Bowl history…en route to his claiming MVP honors.

"The No. 1 thing is, we wanted to win as a team," Martin told me. "Plunkett's a good guy. He's one of my best friends. He's a brother to me. I've got nothing (negative) towards him. Maybe the voters. We could have been co-MVPs. That would have been the icing on the cake."

Martin laughs. After all, it was Martin on the cover of Sports Illustrated, smiling and holding up three fingers for each of his picks. So was it luck? Happenstance? Skill? "Preparation," Martin said. In the days leading up to the game, Martin said he took a projector to his hotel room and watched film on a wall. He figured out Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski's tendencies. Plus, Martin figured Dick Vermeil would come his way. "He recruited me to UCLA," Martin said with a laugh, "and I was going to go there, until the great John McKay came to my house." So Martin went to USC, and the Raiders used a 12th-round draft pick on him in 1977 after conferring with Trojans coach John Robinson, a former Raiders assistant.

On the first interception, which ended the Eagles' first possession of the day, Martin said the Raiders were in a zone defense, that his first read was to stop the run. It was 1st and 10 and the Eagles were on their own 35-yard line. Instead of handing the ball off in a two-tight end set, Jaworski dropped back and threw to tight end John Spagnola. Martin stepped in front of Spagnola for Pick No. 1. Upon returning to the sidelines, Martin approached Raiders secondary coach Willie Brown on the sidelines. "I've got some more in me," Martin said. "Go get it," Brown replied.

But on the Eagles' next series, Martin took a blow to the left knee from running back Wilbert Montgomery. "I was hobbling around pretty good," Martin said. "I guess the Eagles didn't see that. Maybe they did. That's why they kept coming at me." Martin recovered teammate Keith Moody's fumble on a kickoff return after the Eagles had closed to within 14-3.

In the third quarter, with the Raiders already holding a 21-3 lead (Plunkett had hit Cliff Branch with a 2-yard TD pass after Martin's first INT), and the Eagles facing a 3rd and 3 at the Raiders' 34-yard line, Martin said the Raiders were in a man-to-man defense when an out pattern to Spagnola played into Martin's hands as he again stepped in front of the pass. "I had clear sailing in front of me, I was thinking of Willie Brown's interception for a touchdown in Super Bowl XI," Martin said. "But on my crossover step, I stepped out of bounds." The Raiders turned that Martin pick into a Chris Bahr field goal and the lead was 24-3.

The final pick? It came with the score 27-10, just 3:01 to play and the Eagles at their own 45-yard line. "We were in a prevent-zone, the ball came over the middle (to running back Billy Campfield) and I just thought, Oh, this is it."

The Raiders ran out the clock and had their second Lombardi Trophy.

Three years later, and with the Raiders now calling Los Angeles home, they were in Tampa for Super Bowl XVIII to face defending champion Washington. With the Raiders already leading 28-9, Washington was at the Raiders' 26-yard line and facing 4th and 1. "What was ironic about that was I had seen where Riggo, or the Diesel, or whatever they were calling him then, had that long touchdown run the year before in the Super Bowl on fourth down. So the night before our game, I was asked by (broadcasters) John Madden and Pat Summerall about being blocked by Rick Walker, who played at UCLA. I just thought, He didn't block me at UCLA, sure enough he's not going to block me in the Super Bowl. I moved him out of the way, got good penetration, and it was over. It was a good play, If I do say so myself."

Martin laughed as he told the story. He was in awe of what happened on the next play. Allen took the handoff, went to the left, reversed field and was gone for a 74-yard touchdown run on the final play of the third quarter and the Raiders had a 35-9 lead. But Martin was not done. With Washington threatening to score at the Raiders' 8-yard line, Theismann was strip-sacked by a blitzing Mike Davis and Martin recovered the fumble with less than nine minutes to play. Ballgame. Again.

...

Martin was a two-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro who had 33 ½ sacks and 14 interceptions in a career defined by being an underdog, a 6-feet-2, 218-pounder who was asked by Al Davis in training camp in 1979 what position he wanted to play. "Being young and dumb I said, right outside linebacker," Martin said. "But Phil Villapiano was there. He put Phil inside and I was back playing the position I had been playing my whole life. I didn't look back."