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Gino Marchetti
Gino John Marchetti (Pronounced: Mar-KETT-i) (January 2, 1926 – April 29, 2019) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end and offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played in 1952 for the Dallas Texans and from 1953 to 1966 for the Baltimore Colts.
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972. In 1969, Marchetti was named to the National Football League 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. In 1994, Marchetti was named to the National Football League 75th Anniversary All-Time Team. In 2019, he was unanimously named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. He is one of only six players to be on the 50th, 75th and 100th anniversary teams, along with his Baltimore Colts teammate Johnny Unitas.
Marchetti was born near Smithers, West Virginia, just south of the capital, Charleston, in Kayford, West Virginia. He was the son of Italian immigrants Ernesto (later Ernest) and Maria (Dalforte) from Lucca, Italy in Tuscany. Not wanting a coal mining life, the family moved to Antioch, California when Marchetti was young, where Ernest opened the Nevada Club which served food and drinks, and operated legal poker games.
Ernest became an American citizen, but Maria did not because of paperwork issues. At the beginning of World War II, when America was at war with Italy, she was originally assigned to an internment camp. Even after she was no longer subject to being interned as an enemy alien, she was cast out of Antioch as a supposed threat to national security. The family moved a few miles outside of Antioch. While the rest of the family, including Marchetti who was attending Antioch high school, could go into Antioch, Maria could not. This was so even though she already had one son in the army and Marchetti was about to enlist. In a 2000 interview with Baltimore sportswriter John Steadman, Marchetti stated that he and his parents did not hold a grudge over his mother's treatment by the government, and emphasized his parents love for America.
In 1944, while a high school senior and only 17 years old, Marchetti enlisted in the U.S. Army. He still received a high school diploma because he enlisted. He became a member of the 273rd Unit of the U.S. Army's Sixty-ninth Infantry, which originally was sent to London. Marchetti arrived for combat in Europe around the time of the end of the Battle of the Bulge as a machine gunner. He fought initially in Germany at the Siegfried Line. Among his experiences, Marchetti said, "'The first time I saw snow, I slept in it...." His company was the first to make contact with Russian soldiers during the war's end.
Reflecting upon his World War II experience in a 2009 interview, Marchetti called it "life altering" and said "If I had not gone to the Army, what probably would have happened to me is, I would have gone to one of the factories, worked until I was 65, retired, and that would have been my life. That's what they did in Antioch. Because the war was coming to an end, I could have probably stayed home, graduated [from high school] and never had to go. But it was the best thing I ever did. It gave me the discipline that I needed in my life." The Army also made Marchetti a leader, including as a football player, where he understood leadership meant it was necessary to take action to overcome problems the team faced, which he would do by attacking the problem.
Marchetti returned home to Antioch from the Army in 1946. He played semipro football for the Antioch Hornets in 1947. He later attended Modesto Junior College for one year before joining the football program at the University of San Francisco (USF). Marchetti was able to go to Modesto on the GI Bill, and earned a scholarship to USF.
The USF Dons enjoyed an undefeated season in 1951. In addition to Marchetti, that team had two other future NFL Hall of Fame players, Ollie Matson and Bob. St. Clair. A number of other teammates were also future NFL players. Linebacker Burl Toler's NFL playing career ended before it started when he suffered a shattering knee injury during a college all-star game in 1952. Toler later became an NFL head linesman in 1965, making him the first African American game official in any major professional American sports league. The team's young publicist was Pete Rozelle, who went on to become NFL commissioner and another hall of famer. The team was coached by future NFL coach Joe Kuharich. Marchetti was named a Dons captain, a role he would later serve for the Baltimore Colts in the NFL.
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Gino Marchetti
Gino John Marchetti (Pronounced: Mar-KETT-i) (January 2, 1926 – April 29, 2019) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end and offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played in 1952 for the Dallas Texans and from 1953 to 1966 for the Baltimore Colts.
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972. In 1969, Marchetti was named to the National Football League 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. In 1994, Marchetti was named to the National Football League 75th Anniversary All-Time Team. In 2019, he was unanimously named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. He is one of only six players to be on the 50th, 75th and 100th anniversary teams, along with his Baltimore Colts teammate Johnny Unitas.
Marchetti was born near Smithers, West Virginia, just south of the capital, Charleston, in Kayford, West Virginia. He was the son of Italian immigrants Ernesto (later Ernest) and Maria (Dalforte) from Lucca, Italy in Tuscany. Not wanting a coal mining life, the family moved to Antioch, California when Marchetti was young, where Ernest opened the Nevada Club which served food and drinks, and operated legal poker games.
Ernest became an American citizen, but Maria did not because of paperwork issues. At the beginning of World War II, when America was at war with Italy, she was originally assigned to an internment camp. Even after she was no longer subject to being interned as an enemy alien, she was cast out of Antioch as a supposed threat to national security. The family moved a few miles outside of Antioch. While the rest of the family, including Marchetti who was attending Antioch high school, could go into Antioch, Maria could not. This was so even though she already had one son in the army and Marchetti was about to enlist. In a 2000 interview with Baltimore sportswriter John Steadman, Marchetti stated that he and his parents did not hold a grudge over his mother's treatment by the government, and emphasized his parents love for America.
In 1944, while a high school senior and only 17 years old, Marchetti enlisted in the U.S. Army. He still received a high school diploma because he enlisted. He became a member of the 273rd Unit of the U.S. Army's Sixty-ninth Infantry, which originally was sent to London. Marchetti arrived for combat in Europe around the time of the end of the Battle of the Bulge as a machine gunner. He fought initially in Germany at the Siegfried Line. Among his experiences, Marchetti said, "'The first time I saw snow, I slept in it...." His company was the first to make contact with Russian soldiers during the war's end.
Reflecting upon his World War II experience in a 2009 interview, Marchetti called it "life altering" and said "If I had not gone to the Army, what probably would have happened to me is, I would have gone to one of the factories, worked until I was 65, retired, and that would have been my life. That's what they did in Antioch. Because the war was coming to an end, I could have probably stayed home, graduated [from high school] and never had to go. But it was the best thing I ever did. It gave me the discipline that I needed in my life." The Army also made Marchetti a leader, including as a football player, where he understood leadership meant it was necessary to take action to overcome problems the team faced, which he would do by attacking the problem.
Marchetti returned home to Antioch from the Army in 1946. He played semipro football for the Antioch Hornets in 1947. He later attended Modesto Junior College for one year before joining the football program at the University of San Francisco (USF). Marchetti was able to go to Modesto on the GI Bill, and earned a scholarship to USF.
The USF Dons enjoyed an undefeated season in 1951. In addition to Marchetti, that team had two other future NFL Hall of Fame players, Ollie Matson and Bob. St. Clair. A number of other teammates were also future NFL players. Linebacker Burl Toler's NFL playing career ended before it started when he suffered a shattering knee injury during a college all-star game in 1952. Toler later became an NFL head linesman in 1965, making him the first African American game official in any major professional American sports league. The team's young publicist was Pete Rozelle, who went on to become NFL commissioner and another hall of famer. The team was coached by future NFL coach Joe Kuharich. Marchetti was named a Dons captain, a role he would later serve for the Baltimore Colts in the NFL.
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