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Frank Varrichione
Frank Joseph Varrichione (pronounced "Vair-a-kee-oh'-nee;" January 14, 1932 – January 6, 2018) was an American professional football player who was a tackle for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting, winning a national championship with a 9-0-1 record in 1953.
During his collegiate career Varrichione was named a third-team All-American in 1954, recognized as one of the top 33 players in the college game. He would be the first lineman selected in the 1955 NFL draft, the league's sixth pick overall. Varrichione's stint in the NFL would include six seasons playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers before a trade ahead of the 1961 season sent him to the Los Angeles Rams, for whom he would play for five more years. During his career Varrichione would make five NFL Pro Bowl appearances between 1955 and 1964, indicative of his status as a top echelon offensive lineman.
Frank Varrichione was born January 14, 1932, at Natick, Massachusetts. His parents, Joseph and Mary Varrichione, were born in Italy and emigrated to the United States in 1913 — first arriving in Boston before moving slightly more than 20 miles inland to the town of Natick. He was the youngest of ten children in a Roman Catholic family.
Large and strong from his early boyhood years, Varrichione took up football as a 9th grade student at Natick High School. He graduated early and then was enrolled in a Catholic prep school, St. Thomas Aquinas in Rochester, New York, where he attracted the attention of recruiters for the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.
Following graduation at St. Thomas Aquinas, Varrichione was enrolled on scholarship to Notre Dame. He was a 210-pound Freshman on the 1951 team, slated for immediate use on a depleted offensive line for what was expected to be one of the youngest varsity teams in school history. Varrichione was made a starter as a Freshman, the only such on the offensive side of the ball for the 1951 Fighting Irish Team.
Varrichione's initial campaign was marred by injury, however, when the young right guard went down in an October 27, 1951, game against the University of Pittsburgh. The injury was not season-ending, however, and by the November 8 game against the University of Oklahoma, Varrichione's number 60 jersey was again seen on the field.
During his Junior year Varrichione showed improvement on the defensive side of the ball, tutored by Notre Dame head coach Frank Leahy. Varrichione thrived in his defensive role, scoring two points on a safety in an October 1953 game against the Pitt Panthers. The play helped Varrichione earn national Lineman of the Week honors from the Associated Press.
He would also earn a place in Notre Dame lore as an offensive tackle in helping Notre Dame escape with a tie against the University of Iowa by spontaneously suffering a phantom injury which stopped the clock with no timeouts remaining and time winding down at the end of the first half, helping to enable a critical touchdown. His dramatic flop at a critical moment would help Varrichione earn the moniker "Faintin' Frank." He would also be the recipient of a deluge of flowers and get-well-soon cards from sarcastic Hawkeye football fans, perturbed by the outcome of Varricihone's timely ailment.
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Frank Varrichione
Frank Joseph Varrichione (pronounced "Vair-a-kee-oh'-nee;" January 14, 1932 – January 6, 2018) was an American professional football player who was a tackle for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting, winning a national championship with a 9-0-1 record in 1953.
During his collegiate career Varrichione was named a third-team All-American in 1954, recognized as one of the top 33 players in the college game. He would be the first lineman selected in the 1955 NFL draft, the league's sixth pick overall. Varrichione's stint in the NFL would include six seasons playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers before a trade ahead of the 1961 season sent him to the Los Angeles Rams, for whom he would play for five more years. During his career Varrichione would make five NFL Pro Bowl appearances between 1955 and 1964, indicative of his status as a top echelon offensive lineman.
Frank Varrichione was born January 14, 1932, at Natick, Massachusetts. His parents, Joseph and Mary Varrichione, were born in Italy and emigrated to the United States in 1913 — first arriving in Boston before moving slightly more than 20 miles inland to the town of Natick. He was the youngest of ten children in a Roman Catholic family.
Large and strong from his early boyhood years, Varrichione took up football as a 9th grade student at Natick High School. He graduated early and then was enrolled in a Catholic prep school, St. Thomas Aquinas in Rochester, New York, where he attracted the attention of recruiters for the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.
Following graduation at St. Thomas Aquinas, Varrichione was enrolled on scholarship to Notre Dame. He was a 210-pound Freshman on the 1951 team, slated for immediate use on a depleted offensive line for what was expected to be one of the youngest varsity teams in school history. Varrichione was made a starter as a Freshman, the only such on the offensive side of the ball for the 1951 Fighting Irish Team.
Varrichione's initial campaign was marred by injury, however, when the young right guard went down in an October 27, 1951, game against the University of Pittsburgh. The injury was not season-ending, however, and by the November 8 game against the University of Oklahoma, Varrichione's number 60 jersey was again seen on the field.
During his Junior year Varrichione showed improvement on the defensive side of the ball, tutored by Notre Dame head coach Frank Leahy. Varrichione thrived in his defensive role, scoring two points on a safety in an October 1953 game against the Pitt Panthers. The play helped Varrichione earn national Lineman of the Week honors from the Associated Press.
He would also earn a place in Notre Dame lore as an offensive tackle in helping Notre Dame escape with a tie against the University of Iowa by spontaneously suffering a phantom injury which stopped the clock with no timeouts remaining and time winding down at the end of the first half, helping to enable a critical touchdown. His dramatic flop at a critical moment would help Varrichione earn the moniker "Faintin' Frank." He would also be the recipient of a deluge of flowers and get-well-soon cards from sarcastic Hawkeye football fans, perturbed by the outcome of Varricihone's timely ailment.