host site at this meeting. However, the winner was still provided with nearly two years of preparation time. A total of six cities submitted bids: Pasadena (Rose Bowl), Los Angeles (Coliseum), Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, and Montreal. Pasadena won on the sixth ballot, with the stadium's capacity (104,701) the leading factor. The selection of Pasadena was mildly controversial. For the first time, the Super Bowl would be played stadium that never housed an NFL franchise. The city of Pasadena entered the bidding last-minute, in an effort to address rising maintenance costs of the stadium. At the time, the Rose Bowl had no permanent major football tenant (UCLA did not move in until 1982) outside of single neutral site games such as the Rose Bowl Game and Pasadena Bowl. Super Bowl XI would take place only eight days after the 1977 Rose Bowl on the same field. Stadium officials expressed confidence that the turf would be in good condition. Pac-8 executive director Wiles Hallock, along with some individual members of the Tournament of Roses Committee opposed the city's bid. However, former Pasadena mayor Don Yokaitis, who made the presentation, successfully touted the stadium's prestige, tradition, and capacity. Oakland Raiders This game marked the second Super Bowl appearance for the Oakland Raiders, who lost Super Bowl II. Two years after their Super Bowl loss, the Raiders hired John Madden as their head coach. Under Madden, the Raiders had posted in his 8 seasons an 83–22–7 record (counting ties, this was a .772 winning percentage, second for any NFL team behind only the Vikings’ .781). Nevertheless, Super Bowl XI was the first time Madden led his team to a league championship game. They had been eliminated in all six of their previous playoff appearances, including five losses in the AFC Championship Game. The Raiders offense was led by quarterback Ken Stabler, who finished as the top rated passer in the AFC, passing for 2,737 yards and 27 touchdowns. His 66.7 completion percentage (194 completions out of 291 attempts) was the second highest in the league. Stabler's main passing weapon was wide receiver Cliff Branch, who caught 46 passes for 1,111 yards (24.2 yards per catch average) and 12 touchdowns. Fred Biletnikoff was also a reliable deep threat, with 43 receptions for 551 yards and 7 touchdowns, while tight end Dave Casper recorded 53 receptions for 691 yards and 10 touchdowns. In addition to