John Vella (born April 21, 1950) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
offensive tackle
Offensive may refer to:
* Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative
* Offensive (military), an attack
* Offensive language
** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...
who played for the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL) between 1972 and 1979.
High school career
Vella prepped at
Notre Dame High School in
Sherman Oaks, California
Sherman Oaks is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California located in the San Fernando Valley, founded in 1927. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density than ...
. The quarterback on this team was future MLB shortstop
Tim Foli
Timothy John Foli (born December 6, 1950), is an American former professional baseball player, coach and minor league manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop for the New York Mets, Montreal Expos, San Francisco Giants, Pi ...
College career
Vella played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at the
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
and was
All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
in 1971, and was a member of the baseball team that won the
1970 College World Series.
Professional career
Joining the Oakland Raiders as a second round pick, Vella started his career as a backup on an offensive line that featured four future Hall of Famers, including tackles Art Shell and Bob Brown. A starter from 1974 to 1976, the 6–4, 265 lb. Vella was part of the
Super Bowl XI
Super Bowl XI was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Minnesota Vikings to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for ...
championship team that dominated the Vikings. From 1977 to 1979, Vella was hampered by injuries, and lost his starting job to Henry Lawrence. His final year in the league,
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC.
* January 9 – ...
, was spent with the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
. Vella
In the documentary "America's Game: 1976 Oakland Raiders,"
Phil Villapiano
Philip James Villapiano (born February 26, 1949) is a former American football linebacker who played 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL).
Early life
Villapiano played high school football at both Asbury Park High School and Ocean T ...
refers to Vella as "Happy Fella John Vella," saying "Don't upset Happy Fella, 'cause he will tear your head off!"
Business career
In 1987, Vella started his business, originally called "John Vella's Raider Locker Room", with one store in
Castro Valley, California
Castro Valley is a census-designated place (CDP) in Alameda County, California, United States. At the 2010 census, it was the fifth most populous unincorporated area in California and the twenty-third most populous in the United States. The popula ...
. At the time, the Raiders played in Los Angeles. The idea was for a retail store that sold only Raiders gear, novelties and collectibles, and catered to the die-hard fan that he remembered from his playing days. He quickly realized he had found a niche, and when the Raiders returned to Oakland in
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
, his business boomed.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vella, John
1950 births
Living people
American football offensive tackles
Minnesota Vikings players
Oakland Raiders players
People from Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles
Players of American football from Cleveland
Players of American football from Los Angeles
USC Trojans baseball players
USC Trojans football players