
John Vella, Raiders Super Bowl champion, dead at 74
NY Post
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 passing 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 competitor, 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.
“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.

Suddenly, someone had hit a rewind button and everyone had been transported back seven months. It was early spring instead of late fall, it was broiling hot outside the arena walls and not freezing cold. Everyone was back at TD Garden. There were 19,156 frenzied fans on their feet begging for blood, poised for the kill.












