Super Bowl champion Warren McVea dies at 79

Warren McVea, a former Super Bowl-winning NFL running back and Texas football pioneer, has died, his family announced Sunday. He was 79 years old.

Tracey Ellis, McVea’s daughter, said her father died at his home in Los Angeles, surrounded by family members after a long battle with illness.

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McVea was a standout running back and was the first black player to receive a football scholarship to a major Texas school. He was a star player at Brackenridge High School in San Antonio, leading the school to a state championship in 1962.

He committed to the University of Houston where he played under head coach Bill Yeoman. He set a school record with 3,009 all-purpose yards in 1966. He had a 99-yard touchdown run in the first football game played on artificial turf.

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Kansas City Chiefs running back Warren McVea (6) is stopped on a late pass by Dallas Cowboy Leroy Jordan (55) during the first quarter in Dallas, September 5, 1970. (AP Photo/Fred Kaufman, file)

“Warren ‘Wondrous Warren’ McVea passed away peacefully Sunday,” the school said in an article on X. “A pioneer of collegiate athletics. An eternal Cougar.”

McVea turned professional in 1968 and was selected in the fourth round of the 1968 draft for the Cincinnati Bengals of the American Football League. He played one season with the Bengals before joining the Kansas City Chiefs.

He was part of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl-winning team in 1969. He played with Hall of Famer Len Dawson and shared carries with Mike Garrett and Robert Holmes.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson (16) returns to Warren McVea (6) as Minnesota Vikings defensive end Carl Eller (81) chases in Super Bowl IV at Tulane Stadium on January 11, 1970. (Malcolm Emmons/USA TODAY Sports)

McVea played four seasons with the Chiefs and had 1,053 yards and 10 touchdowns in 44 games with Kansas City.