John Vella, an offensive lineman who started for the Oakland Raiders when they won Super Bowl XI, has died at the age of 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 Raiders said in a statement. “The prayers of the entire Raider Nation are with the Vella family at this time.”
Vella was a second-round draft pick of the Raiders in 1972 after an All-American senior season at USC. He played both guard and tackle for the Raiders for eight seasons, and then played a ninth and final season with the Vikings.
After retiring, Vella went into the sports memorabilia business that continued to thrive even after he was sued by the NFL in 2003 after an accusation that his merchandise sales were violating NFL trademarks. Vella said the league went after him but that Raiders owner Al Davis remained a supporter of his business.
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