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Former Raiders running back Pete Banaszak died at the age of 82.
Banaszak led the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns in 1975 and ran for two touchdowns in the Raiders’ first Super Bowl win during the 1976 season. The Raiders released a heartfelt statement on Banaszak.
“The Raiders Family mourns the passing of Pete Banaszak, whose toughness, competitive spirit, and dedication embodied a legendary era of Raiders football and made him a cherished member of the Silver and Black,” the statement read.
“A key contributor on the Raiders’ Super Bowl XI championship team, Banaszak spent his entire 13-year career with Oakland after being selected in the fifth round of the 1966 AFL Draft out of Miami.
“He went on to play 173 regular-season games with the Raiders, playing a central role in the famous ‘Holy Roller’ play and scoring 16 rushing touchdowns in 1975, a total that remains a single-season franchise record.
“A Wisconsin native, Banaszak was fiercely proud of his Polish heritage and was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. The deepest condolences of the entire Raider Nation are with Pete’s wife Sue, daughters Rebecca and Amy, grandsons Luke, Austin, and Connor, and all of his loved ones.”
Banaszak was born May 21, 1944, and grew up in Crivitz, a small community in northeastern Wisconsin. He was a multi-sport athlete at Crivitz High School, competing in football, basketball and track and field while also excelling in the discus, winning a Wisconsin state championship. He went on to attend the University of Miami on a football scholarship, where he was named the Hurricanes’ most valuable player as a senior and earned a place on the dean’s list.
Beyond football, he pursued business interests during his playing career, working in transportation and owning an oil bulk plant in his Wisconsin hometown, along with other land holdings in Wisconsin and Florida.
After his football career, Banaszak worked for Crowley Maritime, a job that eventually brought him to the Jacksonville, Florida, area. He lived in Ponte Vedra Beach with his wife, Sue, before later moving to St. Augustine. He also remained connected to football after retiring, co-hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars’ postgame radio show, The Fifth Quarter, in the early 2000s.