Las Vegas Raiders helmet (Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)
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 d3ath 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.
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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
John Vella (Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
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.
VIDEO: Tom Brady Shows Off The Shocking Damage His Hands Have Suffered After 23 NFL Seasons
Tom Brady (Photo via Tom Brady/YouTube)
After more than two decades of taking hits in the NFL, Tom Brady’s hands bear the scars of a legendary career.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion recently revealed the toll 23 seasons of competition have taken on his throwing hand in a video posted to his YouTube channel.
While participating in a lighthearted cooking challenge with social media chef Nick DiGiovanni, Brady’s ability to handle hot waffles straight from the iron sparked a conversation about the damage his hands have endured.
When DiGiovanni joked about his “chef hands,” Brady admitted years of punishing play had damaged his fingers significantly.
Tom Brady’s Career Injuries Left Lasting Damage
Tom Brady (Image Credit: Getty Images)
Brady held up his right middle finger and pointed out its inability to fully straighten. “See that finger?” he said. “Can’t even bend that finger anymore. Torn ligament.” That’s just one of several hand injuries the former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback has endured.
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Over the years, Brady has suffered multiple torn ligaments, a broken ring finger, and a serious cut across his palm. One of the most notable injuries occurred before the AFC Championship Game in the 2016 season when his hand struck teammate Rex Burkhead’s helmet buckle during practice. The deep cut required stitches, but Brady still played through the pain, leading the Patriots to the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history against the Atlanta Falcons.
Despite the brutal punishment, Brady remained remarkably durable throughout his career. The only major injury that sidelined him for an extended period was a torn ACL in Week 1 of the 2008 season. Outside of that, he missed just 19 games- four of which were due to the infamous “Deflategate” suspension.
Brady’s longevity in a sport known for its physical toll is remarkable. But as his recent revelation shows, even the greatest of all time wasn’t immune to football’s brutal realities. His hands, marked by years of battles, tell the story of a career that rewrote NFL history.
