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Gino Marchetti, who served as captain of the two-time world champion Baltimore Colts and fought in World War II, died on Monday at age 93 of pneumonia, the team — now based in Indianapolis — confirmed in astatement.
The son of Italian immigrants, Marchetti enlisted in the U.S. Army to serve in World War II at 18 years old, and worked as a machine-gunner during the Battle of the Bulge, according toThe Philadelphia Inquirer.
“The first time I ever saw snow,” Marchettisaidof his time fighting overseas, “I slept in it.”
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Marchetti died at Paoli Hospital in Paoli, Pennsylvania, theBaltimore Sunreported.
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay paid tribute to the legendary footballer in aTwitter poston Tuesday.
“Rest in peace, Gino Marchetti,” Irsay wrote. “The son of immigrants — and a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge against the Nazis — Marchetti was one of the greatest to play the game, Gino was a player who helped turn the nation’s attention toward the ‘new sport’ on television.”
Marchetti was with Baltimore during their victory in the “Greatest Game Ever Played,” a matchup for the NFL Championship against the Colts and the New York Giants in 1958 that was the first to go into sudden death overtime. He broke his right ankle during the game but would play the following year when the Colts won the NFL title back-to-back.
“Gino Marchetti dominated the football field during his career in the 1950s and ’60s as a leader of the great Baltimore Colts teams of that era,” Pro Football Hall of Fame President and CEO David Baker said in astatement. “His ferocious style of play defined the character of a man who possessed a strong desire to succeed, passion, and determination that made him a great teammate. Those same traits made him a highly successful business leader after his playing days.”
He added: “The legacy of Gino Marchetti’s well-lived life will forever be preserved in Canton, Ohio to serve as an inspiration to future generations of fans.”
source: people.com
