An Italian Heritage Month salute to the Top 12 Italian-American sports figures in US history
It has come to my attention that this is Italian Heritage Month. OK, it came to my attention via an email from my boss.
So, you know what that means? Yep, time for another list. I pondered what list − great Italian-American inventors (DaVinci, Marconi, Mr. Noodle), great Italian-American singers (Bennett, Sinatra, Johnny Fontane), great Italian-American actors (Pacino, DeNiro, Marlon Brando).
That wouldn't do. The sports editor of The Palm Beach Post could only do one thing to honor my family and my occupation: It had to be a list of the greatest Italian-American sports figures in U.S. history. And what a list this is. We have a man whose name appears in a popular song AND novel. A quarterback who was Tom Brady before there was a Tom Brady. A person who's listed in Bartlett's Book of Quotations ... numerous times. And a player involved in one of the greatest touchdowns in NFL history.
As you can tell, this list is not just about accomplishments on the field, in the arena or upon the track. It's about the person and what they gave back to the game and to the fans. Some, even after they retired. I could not hold it to 10 so there are 12. Call it a Fantastico Dodici or as my paisan, Dick Vitale, would say, "Dandy Dozen."
Tell Lady Liberty to tip her torch and salute the immigrants from Naples, Calabria and Sicily who produced these fine Italian-American sports figures.
No. 12: Gene Sarazen
When your biography begins, "Born to impoverished Italian immigrants," you know you're destined for greatness. Eugenio Saraceni changed his name, got game on the golf course and was one of the top players in the 1920s and 1930s. A Hall of Fame golfer, he counts all four Majors among his 48 professional victories.
No. 11: Eddie Arcaro
A Hall of Fame jockey who is the only rider to win two Triple Crowns − 1941 with Calumet Farm's Whirlaway and 1948 with Calumet's Citation. Known as "The Master," this son of Italian immigrants was the first jockey to win five Kentucky Derbys. Arcaro was born prematurely, weighing three pounds, and grew to only 5-foot-2 as an adult. But he loomed large on horse race tracks across America.
No. 10 Dan Marino
There are those who probably think Dan should be higher on this list, but the lack of a Super Bowl ring brought him down a few notches. Still, in any discussion of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time, Marino belongs. Fans enjoying the current Dolphins should not forget No. 13 once was tearing up the league's passing lanes throwing to the Marks Brothers. His numbers continue to astound: At the time of his retirement, Marino held more than 40 NFL single-season and career passing records, including attempts (8,358), completions (4,967), yards (61,361) and touchdowns (420).
No. 9: Mario Andretti
His sons, nephews and grandsons have carried on the family heritage and are more well known today, but it was Mario, born in Montona, Italy (now part of Croatia), who put the Andretti Family on the auto racing map. Mario won the Indy 500 in 1969 - racing for STP and fellow Italian Andy Granatelli, who planted a big kiss on his driver in Victory Lane. He also is one of only three drivers to have won races in Formula One, IndyCar, the World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR.
No. 8: Mary Lou Retton
Her family's name originally was Rotunda, which must have come up with one of those ubiquitous ABC Sports "Up Close and Personal" stories during Mary Lou's Olympic gymnastics blitz at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. There, she won a gold medal in the individual all-around competition, as well as two silver medals and two bronze medals. Personally, I'll always remember her appearance in "Scrooged." Unfortunately, she has been in the news lately with health issues.
No. 7: Yogi Berra
The New York Yankees legend more known for his malaprops than MLB career to today's sports fans was one of the greatest catchers of all time. Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is in the Hall of Fame, as much for his 1,430 RBI − most for a catcher − as his 13 World Series rings (10 as a player, 3 as a coach). He caught Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series. As for his infamous sayings, my favorite always will be: "No one goes there anymore cause it's too crowded."
No. 6: Vince Lombardi
The Super Bowl trophy is named for this legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers, who won five NFL championships. Lombardi, the son of Italian immigrants, was a long-time assistant coach who was passed over for several head coaching positions before getting a chance to turn around a Green Bay franchise that had fallen on hard times. And, if you think Yogi said some memorable things, here is one of Lombardi's gems: "Fatigue makes cowards of us all."
No. 5: Franco Harris
Franco's Army ... The Immaculate Reception ... Mention those two things and you immediately recall the former Penn State running back who was one of the building blocks for the Pittsburgh Steelers' success in the 1970s. Franco, whose mother was Italian, helped the Steelers win four Super Bowls in six seasons. The Hall of Famer is the team's all-time leading rusher with 11,950 yards and 91 rushing touchdowns and a fan favorite. But he always will be remembered for the miracle catch and score that led Pittsburgh past Oakland in an AFC Divisional playoff game on December 23, 1972.
No. 4 Phil Esposito
There is a statue outside what used to be called the Ice Palace in downtown Tampa of the man who brought hockey to that city on Florida's west coast. Esposito was negotiating with a group of Japanese investors at the time and when he said "hockey," they thought he said "sake" and the deal was sealed. Or, at least that was Phil's version. What's not so funny were the numbers Espo put up, mostly with the Boston Bruins: 717 goals, 873 assists, 1,590 points. Besides being in the Hockey Hall of Fame, the native of Sault Ste. Marie, Canada also is on the Italian Walk of Fame in Toronto.
No. 3: Joe Montana
Before Tom Brady became the NFL's GOAT, this guy was it. Montana led the San Francisco 49ers to four Super Bowl victories, earning MVP honors in three of those games. He also passed for 40,551 with as many clutch TD passes as anyone who played the game. He was the quarterback who threw the TD pass to Dwight Clark to beat the Cowboys in the playoffs, a play forever known as "The Catch." He was the quarterback who led the Niners down the field against the Bengals in the Super Bowl, Cincinnati Sam Wyche lamenting his team left too much time on the clock for Montana. Sam was right; Montana drove San Francisco 92 yards for the winning touchdown − with less than a minute to play.
No. 2: Rocky Marciano
The original Rocky − christened Rocco Francis Marchegiano − retired as the only undefeated heavyweight champion of the world with a 49-0 record. He dominated boxing from 1947 to 1956. He left the ring for good at the age of 31 to spend more time with his family. He was 46 when he died in a small plane crash. He even fought Muhammad Ali − and won. In 1969, while Ali was in boxing exile for refusing to be inducted into the armed forces, a mythical boxing match between Ali and Marciano was staged, using computerized scoring to determine the winner. Personally, I think Ali would have won if they fought during both their prime boxing years. Before you say I'm turning my back on my Italian heritage, remember that Angelo Dundee was Ali's trainer.
No. 1: Joe DiMaggio
Forget the Hall of Fame career, making the All-Star team every season he played, the 56-game hitting streak that never will be topped, the World Series championships, the graceful way he played centerfield. Joe D married Marilyn Monroe, had his named mentioned in a Paul Simon song and an Ernest Hemingway novel and stood in line in the middle of a Red Cross shelter in the Marina District waiting to get jugs of water just like everyone else after the 1989 San Francisco earthquake. Joltin' Joe has left and gone away but the memories will last forever. As pitcher Lefty Gomez, once said, “All the Italians in America adopted him. Just about every day at home and on the road there would be an invitation from some Italian American club.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Who are the 12 greatest Italian-American sports heroes?
