- published: 13 May 2011
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Frederick S. "Fred" Biletnikoff (born February 23, 1943) is a former American football wide receiver and coach. He spent the majority of his professional playing and coaching days with the Oakland Raiders. Biletnikoff retired as an NFL player after the 1978 season, and played one additional season in the Canadian Football League for the Montreal Alouettes.
Biletnikoff was born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania, by Russian parents who emigrated to the US during the Russian Civil War. In Erie, he attended what was then Technical Memorial High School and is now Central Tech. The Central Tech field is now named Fred Biletnikoff athletic field.
Turning down other notable offers Biletnikoff chose Florida State University, where he was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity.
Biletnikoff was the first consensus All-American to play for Florida State University. After graduating from Florida State he was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the American Football League draft and Detroit Lions in the third round. Biletnikoff signed with the Raiders where he played until retiring at the end of the 1978 season. He also played one season (1980) with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.