Former Raiders QB Daryle Lamonica dies at age 80
Former AFL Player of the Year Daryle Lamonica has actually died at age 80By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football WriterApril 21, 2022, 7:33 PM – 3 min readShare to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleDaryle Lamonica, the deep-throwing quarterback who won an AFL Player of the Year award and led the Raiders to their first Super Bowl look, has actually died. He was 80. The Fresno County Sherriffs stated Lamonica passed away at his Fresno house on Thursday early morning. The death is thought about to be from natural causes.The Raiders got Lamonica in a trade from Buffalo in 1967 and he was immediately the best fit for the vertical offense owner Al Davis coveted for his franchise.Nicknamed the “Mad Bomber,” Lamonica made an immediate effect in Oakland after starting only 4 video games in 4 seasons with the Bills.Lamonicas deep arm coordinated with receivers such as Warren Wells and Fred Biletnikoff and turned the Raiders into a powerhouse. They went 13-1 his very first season as Lamonica was a first-team All-Pro and AP AFL Player of the Year when he led the league with 30 goal passes.Lamonica then tossed 2 TD passes in a win over Houston in the AFL title video game to send out the Raiders to their first Super Bowl where they lost 33-14 to Green Bay.Lamonica was an All-Pro again in 1969 when he led the AFL with 3,302 backyards passing and 34 touchdowns. The 34 TDs still stand as the franchises single-season record more than a half-century later.Lamonica was at his finest during the playoffs, tossing five TD passes in a 41-6 win over Kansas City in 1968 and a record 6 the following season against Houston. Only Steve Young and Tom Brady have matched Lamonicas 6 TD passes in a championship game and just Patrick Mahomes and Kurt Warner have multiple games with at least five.Lamonica likewise played a starring function in one of the most remarkable video games ever, tossing 4 TD passes, including the consent score to Charlie Smith in a 43-32 win over the Jets in a video game now called the “Heidi Game” due to the fact that NBC removed from the finish on the East Coast before the Raiders resurgence to show the kidss movie.Lamonica was changed as the starter in 1973 by Ken Stabler and went to the World Football League the following season where he completed his career.Lamonica finished his profession with 19,154 lawns passing and 164 TDs. The Raiders went 62-16-6 in Lamonicas starts for the finest winning percentage for any beginning QB in the Super Bowl period with a minimum of 75 starts.Lamonica was born and raised in Fresno before going to college at Notre Dame. He was drafted in the 12th round by Green Bay and the 23rd round by the Bills in 1963 and decided to go to the AFL. He was a backup to Jack Kemp in Buffalo before ending up being a star in Oakland.—— More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://apnews.com/hub/pro-32 and https://twitter.com/AP—NFL