Former Notre Dame, Oakland Raiders QB Daryle Lamonica passes away at 80
Notre Dame and the football world lost an icon this week.
Former Irish quarterback Daryle Lamonica passed away Thursday morning at the age of 80, his family confirmed to The Fresno Bee and FOX26News. Per the Bee, The Fresno County Coroner’s Office determined he died of natural causes. Lamonica was Notre Dame’s starting quarterback in 1962 following two years in a platoon at the position. He went on to play 12 AFL and NFL seasons for the Buffalo Bills (1963-66) and the Oakland Raiders (1967-74).
Lamonica played 30 games over his final three seasons, totaling 1,363 yards, eight touchdowns and 16 interceptions in his Irish career. He added 353 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. He tied a team record for single-game touchdown passes a game (four) in a 1962 contest against Pittsburgh, though it has since been broken.
The Buffalo Bills took Lamonica in the 1963 AFL Draft, while the Green Bay Packers selected him in that year’s NFL Draft. He chose the Bills and played there from 1963-66, mainly as a backup. Buffalo won the AFL Championship in 1964 and 1965.
Lamonica’s career blossomed, though, when he was traded to the Raiders before the 1967 season. In Oakland, he earned the nickname “The Mad Bomber” because of his affinity for throwing deep passes. He was the AFL MVP in 1967 and 1969 and led the Raiders to Super Bowl II, which they lost to the Packers. He led the AFL in passing yards once (1969) and touchdown passes twice (1967, 1969). The Raiders won four straight division titles from 1967-70.
All told, Lamonica went to the playoffs in 10 of his 12 AFL and NFL seasons and retired with a 66-16-6 record as a starter. His .791 win percentage is first among Super Bowl era quarterbacks with at least 70 starts. He threw for 19,154 yards, 164 touchdowns and 138 interceptions in his career.
Lamonica concluded his pro career with a one-year stint playing for the World Football League’s Southern California Sun in 1975.
Lamonica came to Notre Dame to play for coach Joe Kuharich after a standout four-sport career at Clovis (Calif.) High School in suburban Fresno, turning down a $50,000 contract to play baseball in the Chicago Cubs organization. He also played basketball and track in high school and is the namesake of Clovis’ football stadium.
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