Daryle Lamonica passed

[rsvman]

This happened a few days ago, but I didn't see any comments on it. I guess when you have been out of the limelight for a long time, and you live a long time, it isn't going to attract much attention when you die.

I'm not sure if I ever saw him play. He was the face of the Raiders a long, long time ago. In my earliest memories of the Raiders, their quarterback was The Snake, and Fred Bilitnikoff (don't know if I spelled his name properly) was racing down the sidelines with his long blond hair waving out behind his helmet, getting ready to apply some stickem to an aired-out pass. Good times. But they talked about Lamonica a lot.

Anybody old enough to have watched Lamonica play?

Nice to hear of a big NFL star who lives out a good life to a ripe old age once in a while.

[tommy]

This happened a few days ago, but I didn't see any comments on it. I guess when you have been out of the limelight for a long time, and you live a long time, it isn't going to attract much attention when you die.

I'm not sure if I ever saw him play. He was the face of the Raiders a long, long time ago. In my earliest memories of the Raiders, their quarterback was The Snake, and Fred Bilitnikoff (don't know if I spelled his name properly) was racing down the sidelines with his long blond hair waving out behind his helmet, getting ready to apply some stickem to an aired-out pass. Good times. But they talked about Lamonica a lot.

Anybody old enough to have watched Lamonica play?

Nice to hear of a big NFL star who lives out a good life to a ripe old age once in a while.

I was a little kid when he played, but I remember The Mad Bomber. He won over 80% of his starts in his six years with the old school Raiders, when they really did go for broke often. Lamonica only completed around 50% of his passes but he averaged over 15 yards per completion. For comparison, Tom Brady is at around 11.5. So yes a lot of bombing, a lot of winning, and some Pro Bowls for Lamonica. Raider legend for sure.

[75Crazie]

My memory is that the Raiders weren't very good at the time he came to them, but he took them to the Super Bowl in I think his first season there (where they became one of two sacrificial lambs to the Packers in those early days). He had some excellent seasons throwing to such as Biletnikoff, and Stabler took up where he left off without missing a beat. I believe Lamonica was the Raiders quarterback in the "Heidi game" (worth looking up if you're too young to remember that).

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I watched him play against my (then, not now) Jets and Joe Namath. I’ve always hated the Oakland Raiders. Still do.

[duke74]

I watched him play against my (then, not now) Jets and Joe Namath. I’ve always hated the Oakland Raiders. Still do.

As a season ticket holder from the Titans days, I’m with you. Thugs and dirty players.

Now the question is, why “then, not now”?

[duke74]

My memory is that the Raiders weren't very good at the time he came to them, but he took them to the Super Bowl in I think his first season there (where they became one of two sacrificial lambs to the Packers in those early days). He had some excellent seasons throwing to such as Biletnikoff, and Stabler took up where he left off without missing a beat. I believe Lamonica was the Raiders quarterback in the "Heidi game" (worth looking up if you're too young to remember that).

Heidi game was a classic. Ingrained in this Jets fan’s memory. And my wife, who is a bigger fan than I am, is named Heidi (after the novel, not the game).

[OZZIE4DUKE]

As a season ticket holder from the Titans days, I’m with you. Thugs and dirty players.

Now the question is, why “then, not now”?

Why not now? In the summer of ‘70 we moved from Great Neck to Ft. Lauderdale, I was 16, and my dad bought season tickets to the Miami Dolphin games. Dolphins hired Don Shula as their new coach that summer, too. First year when they played the Jets I rooted for the Jets. But the ‘fins went from bad to good that season, guys like Czonka, Kiick, Greise, Warfield and Bouniconti came into their own as stars! I was fully committed to the Dolphins and the Jets were the enemy! That’s why not now, although I ceased being a Dolphin fan after both Marina and Shula retired. I had no connection with the team, didn’t know any of the players and the Charlotte Panthers were the new, almost local team here. But I will admit I’m a fair weather fan, only caring when they’re good, which isn’t often.

I do still hate any team associated with Boston. Especially the red sux!

[duke74]

Why not now? In the summer of ‘70 we moved from Great Neck to Ft. Lauderdale, I was 16, and my dad bought season tickets to the Miami Dolphin games. Dolphins hired Don Shula as their new coach that summer, too. First year when they played the Jets I rooted for the Jets. But the ‘fins went from bad to good that season, guys like Czonka, Kiick, Greise, Warfield and Bouniconti came into their own as stars! I was fully committed to the Dolphins and the Jets were the enemy! That’s why not now, although I ceased being a Dolphin fan after both Marina and Shula retired. I had no connection with the team, didn’t know any of the players and the Charlotte Panthers were the new, almost local team here. But I will admit I’m a fair weather fan, only caring when they’re good, which isn’t often.

I do still hate any team associated with Boston. Especially the red sux!

Being a Mets fan, I actually appreciate the Red Sox, especially Bill Buckner (RIP).

[75Crazie]

A belated kudo to the duality of the title of this thread.

[Jim3k]

Anybody old enough to have watched Lamonica play?

Nice to hear of a big NFL star who lives out a good life to a ripe old age once in a while.

Can't say I remember it well, but Bill Murray's 1961 team beat Notre Dame at Duke that season. I was there as a soph. It was an upset and the star for Notre Dame was a scatback named Angelo Dabierio. We had to come from behind due to his early long runs. The Notre Dame starting QB was named Frank Budka. His backup was Daryle Lamonica. We had some stars of our own back then. Jay Wilkinson, Walt Rappold and Mark Leggett... We went 7-3 and could have had the Gator Bowl...but that's another story.

I've been looking for a box score to check my memory (they seem to be behind paywalls or are not kept on-line by the schools), but I'm pretty sure Lamonica didn't play much. Unfortunately, I really don't recall. I guess I saw him in uniform, but...that's as close as I got.

If anybody can research this better than this geezer, feel free to help out.

[Jim3k]

Correction. Gator Bowl turndown was 1962. That was an 8-2 season.

[tommy]

Can't say I remember it well, but Bill Murray's 1961 team beat Notre Dame at Duke that season. I was there as a soph. It was an upset and the star for Notre Dame was a scatback named Angelo Dabierio. We had to come from behind due to his early long runs. The Notre Dame starting QB was named Frank Budka. His backup was Daryle Lamonica. We had some stars of our own back then. Jay Wilkinson, Walt Rappold and Mark Leggett... We went 7-3 and could have had the Gator Bowl...but that's another story.

I've been looking for a box score to check my memory (they seem to be behind paywalls or are not kept on-line by the schools), but I'm pretty sure Lamonica didn't play much. Unfortunately, I really don't recall. I guess I saw him in uniform, but...that's as close as I got.

If anybody can research this better than this geezer, feel free to help out.

I tried but couldn't find a box score either. You're probably right that Lamonica didn't play much. He was the second stringer.

What I did catch was that the captain of that Notre Dame team that lost to Duke in 1961 was Nick Buoniconti, who would go on to star at middle linebacker for the Dolphins' Super Bowl teams of the early 70s. Nick's son Nicky, though undersized like his dad, grew up in Miami and played the same position with distinction, at Duke in the mid-1980s.