Super Bowl champion John Vella dead at 74

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

The Raiders announced Vella’s decease successful a connection connected Wednesday.

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"The Raiders Family mourns the passing of John Vella, a standout connected the ascendant Raider violative lines of the 1970s and a starter connected Oakland’s Super Bowl XI Championship team," the connection read. "Vella primitively joined the Raiders arsenic a second-round draught enactment successful 1972 retired of USC, wherever helium earned statement All-American honors arsenic a tackle successful 1971. 

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

"A versatile performer and a ferocious competitor, Vella played some defender and tackle, seeing enactment successful 84 games with 48 starts successful 8 seasons with Silver and Black. He finished his vocation with Minnesota successful 1980. The prayers of the full Raider Nation are with the Vella household astatine this time."

NFL fans mourned Vella’s decease connected X.

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

He played connected the aforesaid violative enactment arsenic Art Shell and Gene Upshaw. Each were tasked with stopping the walk rushers trying to get astatine Ken Stabler. Wide receivers Fred Biletnikoff and Cliff Branch were the main targets connected those Raiders teams.

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

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

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