Super Bowl champion Warren McVea has died at age 79

Warren McVea, a former NFL running back who won a Super Bowl and a pioneer in Texas football, has died, his family said Sunday. He was 79.

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

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A standout running back, McVea 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 catch in the first football game played on artificial turf.

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Kansas City Chiefs running back Warren McVea (6) is stopped on an end run by Dallas Cowboy Leroy Jordan (55) in the first quarter in Dallas, September 5, 1970. (AP Photo/Fred Kaufman, File)

“Warren ‘Wondrous Warren’ McVea passed away peacefully on Sunday,” the school said in a post on X. “A trailblazer in collegiate athletics. A Cougar forever.”

McVea turned professional in 1968 and was selected in the fourth round of the 1968 draft by the American Football League’s Cincinnati Bengals. 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) tackles Warren McVea (6) as Minnesota Vikings defensive end Carl Eller (81) pursues in Super Bowl IV at Tulane Stadium on January 11, 1970. (Malcolm Emmons/USA TODAY Sports)

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