Daryle Lamonica defined a bygone era of Raiders football — one that was defined by hard hitting and pure dominance.
Unfortunately, a Las Vegas Raiders organization that has dealt with a ton of losses recently is now mourning the passing of Lamonica at the age of 80 years old.
The five-time Pro Bowl quarterback’s son, Brandon, confirmed to Fox 26 News in Northern California on Thursday that Lamonica passed away from natural causes.
Lamonica came to the professional ranks after starring under head coach Joe Kuharich at Notre Dame from 1960-62.
After four seasons as a backup with the Bills, Lamonica was traded to the Raiders in March 1967 for a package including all-time great Raiders legend Tom Flores.
The rest is pretty much history. Lamonica led the Raiders to a 36-4-1 record in his first three seasons as the team’s starter under John Rauch and the late, great John Madden. That included a Super Bowl appearance in his first season.
In 1969, Lamonica led the AFL in completions, attempts, passing yards and touchdowns en route to earning AFL MVP. He finished his storied career with the Raiders in 1974. He’s still fourth in Raiders history in passing yards and third all time in passing touchdowns.
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