Gino Marchetti

Infobox NFLretired


|width=
caption=
position=Defensive end
number=89
birthdate=birth date and age|1927|1|2 Smithers, West Virginia
deathdate=
debutyear=1952
finalyear=1966
draftyear=1952
draftround=2
draftpick=14
college=San Francisco
teams=
*Dallas Texans (1952)
*Baltimore Colts (1953-1966)
stat1label=Sacks
stat1value=--
stat2label=Games
stat2value=161
stat3label=INT
stat3value=1
nfl=MAR021297
highlights=
* 11x Pro Bowl selection (1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964)
* 10x Pro Bowl selection (1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964)
*NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team
*NFL 1950s All-Decade Team
* 1963 Pro Bowl MVP
*Baltimore Colts #89 retired
* 1958 NFL Lineman of the Year
CollegeHOF=
HOF=141

Gino John Marchetti (born January 2 1927, Smithers, West Virginia) is a former professional American football player in the National Football League. A defensive end, he played in 1952 for the Dallas Texans and from 1953 to 1966 for the Baltimore Colts.

Early years

Marchetti enlisted in the U.S. Army after graduating high school in Antioch, California and fought in the Battle of the Bulge as a machine gunner during World War II. Upon returning home after the war, he attended Modesto Junior College (Calif.) for a year before joining the football program at the University of San Francisco, where his team enjoyed an undefeated season in 1951. He was drafted in the second round with the 14th overall pick by the New York Yanks in 1952. In 2004 was voted to the East-West Shrine Game Hall of Fame [http://www.shrinegame.com/halloffame.php] .

Pro football career

During his rookie season, the Yanks became the Dallas Texans and in 1953 became the Baltimore Colts. Marchetti played 13 seasons with the Colts and helped them win NFL Championships in 1958 and 1959. During his career, he was noted for being effective against the run and a relentless pass-rusher. Voted "the greatest defensive end in pro football history," as selected by the Hall of Fame 1969 [http://www.footballresearch.com/articles/frpage.cfm?topic=marchett2] .

Moved to left offensive tackle in 1954, a position Marchetti hated, but admitted that it taught him how to beat a blocker. Returned in defensive end in 1955 and made his first Pro Bowl.

He made a big play in the 1958 NFL Championship Game when he prevented the New York Giants from gaining a first down. Unfortunately for him, he fractured a leg on a key play near the end of the game but, as a team captain, insisted on watching the rest of the historic overtime contest from the sideline with his teammates rather than seeking immediate medical attention in the locker room. The injury forced him to miss the Pro Bowl that year and ended his string of nine consecutive Pro Bowl appearances. Gino was all-NFL seven times, missing only 1963 in the 1957-1964 span.Called by Sid Gillman, the Los Angeles Rams head coach, "(T)he greatest player in football. It's a waste of time to run around this guy's end. It's a lost play. You don't bother to try it. [http://archive.sportingnews.com/nfl/100/15.html] "

Enshrined in the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1985 [http://www.bashof.org/inducteebios/gmarchetti.htm] . Also a member of the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame [http://www.niashf.org/index.cfm?ContentID=40&InducteeID=127] .

Restaurant

In 1959, Marchetti joined with several of his teammates, including Alan Ameche, and opened a fast food restaurant. The business grew, began to franchise, and would eventually become known as Gino's Hamburgers. It was a successful East Coast regional fast food chain and had 313 company-owned locations when they were sold to Marriott International in 1982 and became Roy Rogers restaurants.

Awards and honors

*Pro Bowl Selection (1955-1965)
*All-NFL Selection (1956-1964)
*NFL 50th Anniversary Team ( [1969)
*Pro Football Hall of Fame (1972)
*Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame (1985)
*NFL 75th Anniversary Team (1994)
*All-Madden All-Millennium Team (2000)
*NFL All-Time Team (2000)
*In 1999, he was ranked number 15 on "The Sporting News"' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, the second-highest-ranking defensive end behind Deacon Jones.
* [http://www.niashf.org/ National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame]

References

* [http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?PLAYER_ID=141 Pro Football Hall of Fame Page]
* [http://archive.sportingnews.com/nfl/100/15.html TSN Football's 100 Greatest Players Page]
* [http://www.bashof.org/inducteebios/gmarchetti.htm Bay Area Hall of Fame Page]
* [http://www.ravensnest1.com/Baltimore%20Colts.htm Ravens Nest Baltimore Colts Page]
*"Sundays at 2:00 With the Baltimore Colts". (ISBN 0-87033-476-X)

External links

* [http://www.baltmorecoltsmania.com BaltimoreColtsMania.com - The #1 Baltimore Colts site!]
* [http://www.footballcardgallery.com/player/Gino+Marchetti/ Gallery of Gino Marchetti's football cards]