Pete ‘the Rooster’ Banaszak, the Super Bowl winner and AFL champion with the Oakland Raiders, has passed away at 82.
‘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,’ read a team statement.
A cause of death has not been revealed.
One of the earliest football stars to come from the University of Miami, the Wisconsin native opted against joining the priesthood to instead pursue a career in football. He’d get his wish when the Raiders selected the running back in the fifth round of the 1966 AFL Draft.
Eventually Banaszak would carve out a role as head coach John Madden’s short-yardage back, which led him to score an NFL-best 16 touchdowns in 1975.
Banaszak was a member of the AFL-champion Raiders in 1967. Oakland would play in the second ever Super Bowl in January of 1968, but fell to the Green Bay Packers – the same team he grew up supporting in Wisconsin.
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Oakland Raiders running back Pete Banaszak arrives at the teams training camp in Santa Rosa
Ken Stabler hugs Pete Banaszak after the Raiders’ Super Bowl XI victory over the Vikings
Nine seasons later, Banaszak was a key member of Madden’s 13-1 Raiders, who would go on to beat the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI. Banaszak scored two touchdowns on the day.
He retired after the 1978 season and was later enshrined in the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 1983. Seven years later, Banaszak was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in 1990, joining Jack Ham, Carl Yastrzemski, Tony Kubek and Stan Musial.
Banaszak is survived by his wife, Sue, daughters Rebecca and Amy, as well as his grandsons Luke, Austin and Connor.
Raider Nation reacted to the news on social media.
‘Totally underrated and a great Raider,’ one fan wrote on X. ‘Did everything well.’
‘Wasn’t the fastest guy,’ another added. ‘Tough as hell. A nose for endzone.’
One fan described Banaszak as what ‘being a Raider is all about.’
