LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — John Vella, an NFL tackle who was a member of the Raiders' Super Bowl XI championship roster, has died, the team announced Wednesday. He was 74.
The Raiders drafted Vella out of USC in 1972, and he played eight seasons for the Silver & Black.
For the 1976 championship team, he started 14 regular season games and three playoff games at right tackle, protecting Pro Bowl quarterback Ken Stabler.
After the Raiders, Vella played one season for the Minnesota Vikings in 1980 before retiring from the NFL.
Following his playing career, Vella opened an apparel store in Alameda County that only sold Raiders merchandise, predating "The Raider Image" stores owned by the team.