Dave Dalby

David Merle Dalby (October 19, 1950 – August 30, 2002) was an American football center.

College
Dalby played for UCLA, where he became part of their All-Century team as center. Dalby also is a member of the UCLA Hall of Fame.

Raiders
Dalby played 14 seasons in the National Football League, all with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders from 1972 to 1985. He replaced Hall-of-Famer Jim Otto as the starting center when the latter retired after the 1974 season, becoming only the second starting center in franchise history. From 1975 to 1985 as the starting center, Dalby was a part of sterling offensive lines which culminated in 3 Raider Super Bowl victories: Super Bowl XI, Super Bowl XV, and Super Bowl XVIII. During that 1975-1985 window, the Raiders reached the playoffs 8 times (1975 to 1977, 1980, 1982 to 1985). Dalby played in that 1975 to 1985 span next to Hall-of-Famer Gene Upshaw, Curt Marsh, and Charley Hannah at left guard with George Buehler and Mickey Marvin at right guard. He was selected to the Pro Bowl once, after the 1977 season. After his retirement, he was replaced as the starting center in 1986 by Don Mosebar. Dalby never missed a single game in 14 years.

Death
As reported by the Los Angeles Times, Dalby died in an accident 17 years after retiring from football, when his van hit a tree.