| No. 63 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Guard |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1944-08-20)August 20, 1944 Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | August 21, 1977(1977-08-21) (aged 33) Orange, California, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 255 lb (116 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Whittier (CA) California |
| College | USC |
| NFL draft | 1966: undrafted |
| Career history | |
| Awards and highlights | |
| Stats atPro Football Reference | |
James Carl Vellone (August 20, 1944 - August 21, 1977) was aguard in theNational Football League (NFL). Vellone spent his entire five-year career for theMinnesota Vikings, starting in most of his appearances during this span. Vellone helped the Vikings win the1969 NFL Championship and also started inSuper Bowl IV, the first Super Bowl appearance for the Vikings franchise. Vellone's career and life were cut short due toHodgkin's lymphoma.
Before he joined the pro leagues, Vellone playedcollege football for two years at theUniversity of Southern California. Prior to joining theUSC Trojans, Vellone was a Junior College All-American guard atCerritos College.[1] For two seasons while in Minnesota (1968–1969), Vellone was a teammate ofoffensive tackleRon Yary, who likewise was a star lineman at Cerritos College and at USC.
Jim Vellone abruptly retired from the NFL in 1971 when he discovered he had Hodgkin's lymphoma.[2] He spent the final six years of his life undergoing treatments and chemotherapy. Although managing to live a normal life for some time, Vellone finally succumbed to the cancerous disease on August 21, 1977, a day after his 33rd birthday, at St. Joseph's Hospital inOrange, California. According to a brief article in theSt. Petersburg Times (Fla.) newspaper two days after his death, friends said that Vellone checked into St. Joseph's, due to breathing problems.[3]
Jim Vellone left behind two sons Eric and John, brother Louis, and parents
Jim's high school alma mater named their Athlete of the Year award after him. The award's recipients included Greg Langford (Wrestling, 1972), Paul Phillips (Swimming, 1973), and Bill Qualls (Cross Country and Track, 1974).