Daryle Lamonica, Clovis High grad and former Oakland Raiders quarterback, dies at 80

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The football world is mourning the loss of former Raider great and Central Valley native Daryle Lamonica.

The gunslinging quarterback who won the AFL Player of the Year award also led the Raiders to their first Super Bowl appearance in 1968.

Nicknamed the "Mad Bomber," Lamonica made an immediate impact in Oakland after the team acquired him in a trade from Buffalo in 1967.

In the 60s and early '70s, he earned a reputation for his deep ball while accumulating more than 19,000 passing yards and 164 touchdowns.

Lamonica was born and raised in Fresno before going on to attend Notre Dame. He lettered in four sports and was an all-state quarterback at Clovis High.

In 1974, the high school named its football stadium after him.

Clovis High School released the following statement after the announcement of Lamonica's passing:

"The Clovis Unified community lost an icon today with the passing of legendary athlete Daryle Lamonica, the namesake of Lamonica Stadium on the Clovis High School campus. Lamonica established a high standard of athletic excellence, performance and character for student athletes who followed his graduation from Clovis High School. In recognition of Lamonica's impact on local high school athletics, and his outstanding collegiate and professional career, Clovis High School's football stadium was named in his honor in 1974. Daryle Lamonica was also an inaugural honoree in both Clovis Unified's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016, and in Clovis High School's Football Hall of Fame in 2018. His legacy is one that lives on not only through the beloved stadium that bears his name, but in the coaches, student athletes, and fans who are a part of the Clovis Unified athletic tradition."