John Vella dies: Ex-Raiders lineman dead at 74

John Vella, a Super Bowl champion offensive lineman who played for the Oakland Raiders and Minnesota Vikings in the NFL, has died. He was 74.

The Raiders announced Vella’s death in a statement on Wednesday.

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“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 statement read. “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. 

John Vella, a Super Bowl champion offensive lineman who played for the Oakland Raiders and Minnesota Vikings in the NFL, has died. (Michael Zagaris/Getty Images)

“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 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.”

NFL fans mourned Vella’s death on X.

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Vella’s Raiders defeated the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1976 AFC playoffs before the team dominated the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI, 32-14.

He played on the same offensive line as Art Shell and Gene Upshaw. Each were tasked with stopping the pass rushers trying to get at Ken Stabler. Wide receivers Fred Biletnikoff and Cliff Branch were the main targets on those Raiders teams.

Vella’s Raiders defeated the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1976 AFC playoffs before the team dominated the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI, 32-14. (Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images)

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After his playing days were over, he returned to the Oakland area to start a business. John Vella’s Raider Locker Room sold Raiders memorabilia and gear.

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