John Vella, who spent eight seasons in the NFL and helped the Oakland Raiders to their first Super Bowl championship in the 1976 season, has passed away at the age of 74.
On Wednesday, the Las Vegas Raiders announced in a statement that John Vella passed away. No cause of death was immediately announced:
“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. 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.”
A standout offensive lineman for the USC Trojans program, Vella was drafted in the second round (43rd overall) by the Raiders in 1972. Vella was coached by the legendary John Madden, who quickly turned the Raiders into one of the NFL’s model organizations with Al Davis in the ’70s.
Vella was one of many standouts on a star-studded Raiders offense that guided the franchise to a Super Bowl 11 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. That group was led by Hall of Famers Ken Stabler, Gene Upshaw, Dave Casper, Cliff Branch, Art Shell and Fred Biletnikoff.
In Super Bowl 11, John Vella and the Raiders’ o-line allowed just one sack on Stabler against Minny’s vaunted “Purple People Eaters” defense. Behind excellent run-blocking, running back Clarence Davis torched the Minny defense for 137 yards on only 16 carries in a 32-14 win.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Vella’s family and friends and the Raiders organization during this difficult time.
John Vella Spent Seven Of His Eight NFL Seasons With Raiders
The Cleveland, Ohio, native played his first seven NFL seasons with the Raiders (1972-1977) and 1979. Vela missed most of the 1977 season and the entire 1978 campaign because of a knee injury.
Vella spent his final season with the Vikings in 1980, helping them to another playoff appearance under Hall of Fame head coach Bud Grant. The Vikings finished 9-7 but fell to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round.
