Super Bowl champion John Vella 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. 

"A versatile performer and a ferocious competitor, Vella played both guard and tac...