Daryle Lamonica, former Raiders, Notre Dame quarterback, dies at 80

Daryle Lamonica, who starred at Notre Dame before a 12-year professional career, passed away Thursday.

Lamonica, 80, played four seasons for the Buffalo Bills before heading to the Oakland Raiders from 1967-74. He won two AFL MVP awards and led the Raiders to three AFL championships. After the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, he made two Pro Bowls and was a second team All-Pro selection in 1970. He also led the Raiders to Super Bowl II in 1968.

Prior to his decorated professional career, Lamonica started for three seasons at Notre Dame. Nicknamed “The Mad Bomber,” he played in 30 games from 1960-62, totaling 1,363 yards and eight touchdowns during his college career. He also proved to be a force on the ground, rushing for 353 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Fighting Irish.

The Bills drafted him in the 24th round of the 1963 AFL Draft and he led the league in rushing touchdowns in 1964. Buffalo traded him to Oakland in 1967 where he won the majority of his career accolades. In his 12 seasons, he threw for 2,601 yards on 49.5% passing and 164 touchdowns for the Raiders and Bills.

He also had a 66-16-4 record as a starting quarterback, which ranks among the best winning percentages in NFL history. His 40-4-1 record in the AFL stands as the best record in league history prior to the merger.

One of the more notable games of Lamonica’s career came in 1968 when the Raiders took on the New York Jets in what’s now known as the “Heidi Game.” NBC famously cut away from the end of the game to show the movie “Heidi,” and after doing so, Lamonica threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Charlie Smith. Oakland won the game 43-32 — and Lamonica outdueled Joe Namath.

After Ken Stabler took over as the Raiders starter in 1973, Lamonica played a year in the World Football League before hanging up his cleats.