John Vella, Raiders Super Bowl champion, ᴅᴇᴀᴅ at 74

John Vella, Raiders Super Bowl champion, ᴅᴇᴀᴅ at 74

John Vella, who spent eight seasons in the NFL and won a Super Bowl with the Raiders, died on Wednesday, the team announced. 

He was 74.

“The Raiders Family mourns the pᴀssing of John Vella, a standout on the dominant Raider offensive lines of the 1970s and a starter on Oakland’s Super Bowl XI Championship team,” the team said in a statement. “Vella originally joined the Raiders as a second-round draft selection in 1972 out of USC, where he earned consensus All-American honors as a tackle in 1971. A versatile performer and a ferocious compeтιтor, Vella played both guard and tackle, seeing action in 84 games with 48 starts in eight seasons with the Silver and Black. He finished his career with Minnesota in 1980.

Offensive lineman John Vella of the Oakland Raiders blocks
against the San Diego Chargers at San Diego Stadium on
Oct. 13, 1974, in San Diego, Calif. NFL

“The prayers of the entire Raider Nation are with the Vella family at this time.”

Vella was selected by the Raiders in the second round of the draft in 1972 after playing college ball at USC. 

He went on to play in 92 games over the course of his NFL career, recording 48 starts. 

During the 1976 season, Vella started in 14 games for the then-Oakland Raiders and made three playoff starts as the team went on to beat the Vikings, 32-14, in Super Bowl XI. 

Vella played his final season in 1980, which was with the Vikings, where he made eight appearances.

Offensive tackle John Vella of the Oakland Raiders looks on
during a preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers
at Candlestick Park on Sept. 2, 1974 in San Francisco, Calif. Getty Images
Oakland Raiders coach John Madden on the sidelines with John Matuszak (72) and John Vella (75) during game vs New England Patriots at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Sports Illustrated via Getty Ima

Following his retirement, Vella got into the sports memorabilia industry, opening The Raiders Locker Room store in the Bay Area, which he later renamed Vella’s Locker Room to help settle a lawsuit with the NFL and team, which accused him of trademark violation.   

Related Posts

Jim Irsay ᴅᴇᴀᴅ at 65: Peyton Manning breaks his silence on Indianapolis Colts owner’s pᴀssing

Jim Irsay ᴅᴇᴀᴅ at 65: Peyton Manning breaks his silence on Indianapolis Colts owner’s pᴀssing

Peyton Manning has paid an emotional tribute to Jim Irsay following the Indianapolis Colts owner’s death on Wednesday.  Irsay, who was rarely seen in public during the last…

BREAKING NEWSIndianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay dies aged 65

BREAKING NEWSIndianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay dies aged 65

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has died at the age of 65, the team has announced. Irsay, who was rarely seen in public during the last NFL season,…

BREAKING NEWSNFL’s No. 1 draft pick Cam Ward gets paid by the Tennessee тιтans with huge fully-guaranteed deal

BREAKING NEWSNFL’s No. 1 draft pick Cam Ward gets paid by the Tennessee тιтans with huge fully-guaranteed deal

The Tennessee тιтans have signed No. 1 overall draft pick Cam Ward to his rookie contract. The тιтans announced Wednesday that Ward has signed his deal but…

Jalen Hurts breaks silence on Donald Trump snub after Eagles White House visit

Jalen Hurts breaks silence on Donald Trump snub after Eagles White House visit

Jalen Hurts has broken his silence after he missed the Eagles’ White House visit last month. Hurts, Philly’s Super Bowl MVP as they beat the Chiefs in February,…

Eagles owner used disgusting Sєxual reference to argue why Tush Push should be kept in crucial NFL meeting

Eagles owner used disgusting Sєxual reference to argue why Tush Push should be kept in crucial NFL meeting

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie reportedly made a crude Sєxual analogy when discussing the ‘tush push’ on Wednesday at a fiery league meeting. Lurie spoke for nearly an…

Travis Kelce U-turns on NFL Brazil game anger after fuming he would be ‘miserable’ playing in ‘f***ing heat’

Travis Kelce U-turns on NFL Brazil game anger after fuming he would be ‘miserable’ playing in ‘f***ing heat’

Travis Kelce has backtracked on his fury over the Kansas City Chiefs starting the NFL season in Brazil, insisting he ‘can’t wait’ to play in the South American…