The Raiders announced Saturday that former running back Pete Banaszak has died at age 82, closing the book on a 13-season career that included a franchise-record rushing touchdown season, two scores in the club’s first Super Bowl win and a central role in the famed “Holy Roller” play.
Banaszak spent his entire AFL and NFL career with the Raiders from 1966 through 1978, all during the organization’s Oakland era. Although he made 36 starts across 173 regular-season appearances, his production in short-yardage situations and his durability made him a defining contributor for one of the league’s most successful teams of the 1970s.
Raiders remember a key figure from a championship era
The team described Banaszak as a tough, fiercely competitive player whose commitment represented the character of a celebrated period in Raiders history.
A native of Wisconsin, Banaszak took great pride in his Polish background. He was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. He is survived by his wife, Sue; daughters Rebecca and Amy; and grandsons Luke, Austin and Connor.
From fifth-round selection to franchise record holder
- The Raiders selected Banaszak from Miami (Florida) in the fifth round of the 1966 AFL Draft.
- Over his first nine seasons, he recorded 21 rushing touchdowns.
- In 1975, his 10th year with the club, Banaszak produced career highs of 672 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns.
- His 16 rushing scores led the league that season and still stand as the Raiders’ single-season franchise record.
- In the 1976 season, Banaszak scored twice against the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI as Oakland captured its first Lombardi Trophy.
The Super Bowl victory ended a long pursuit for a Raiders team that had regularly reached the postseason during the preceding decade but had not yet won the championship.
Role in the “Holy Roller”
Banaszak was also involved in one of the NFL’s most memorable and controversial finishes. During Week 2 of the 1978 season, Oakland trailed the San Diego Chargers 20-14 in the final seconds.
- With the ball at the Chargers’ 14-yard line, quarterback Ken Stabler took the snap and dropped back before appearing to be sacked.
- The football came loose and traveled forward.
- Banaszak covered the ball before pushing it farther toward the goal line.
- Tight end Dave Casper recovered it in the end zone for the touchdown.
- The ensuing extra point gave the Raiders the win.
The play later prompted a rule change that limited an offense’s ability to advance a fumble in such circumstances. Still, the sequence remains a lasting part of NFL history, with Banaszak positioned between Stabler and Casper in the decisive scramble.
Banaszak retired after the 1978 season with 3,772 rushing yards, 1,022 receiving yards and 52 total touchdowns in the regular season. He added six postseason touchdowns during his Raiders career.
