Former Raiders RB Pete Banaszak dies at 82

Published October 24, 2026 03:40 PM Former Raiders running back Pete Banaszak has died, the team announced Saturday. He was 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,” the team said in a statement. “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 played his entire career with the Raiders.The team drafted him in the fifth round of the 1966 AFL Draft, and he retired after the 1978 season. He led the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns in 1975, which remains a single-season franchise record.He won a Super Bowl XI ring, which was the franchise’s first Super Bowl championship. Banaszak appeared in 173 regular-season games with the Raiders and played a central role in the famous “Holy Roller” play.Banaszak, a Wisconsin native, was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.