This Sunday, February 12th, the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs go head to head in Super Bowl LVII. America Domani is looking back on players, coaches, and front-office executives of Italian descent through the ages.
Below are the names of the greatest Italian football players of the NFC West.
Arizona Cardinals: Charley Trippi
Charley Trippi was the song of Joseph Trippi, a coal miner and Italian immigrant, and Joanna Attardo Trippi in Pittston, Pennsylvania. To avoid becoming a part of the coal mining life like his father, Trippi started playing sports in high school. Trippi chose the NFL over the All-American Football Conference and played a large role in the battle between the two leagues. He has a long list of honors including the 1947 NFL Champion, two-time Pro Bowl, and first- and second- All-Pro teams.
Los Angeles Rams: Vince Ferragamo
Vince Ferragamo was a quarterback in the NFL and CFL for 9 years. He was drafted in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Rams. In 1979, after the Rams starting quarterback broke his finger, Ferragamo had his first NFL start. He would become the first quarterback to go to the Super Bowl during the same season as his first career start. The year 1980 would be remembered as his best season with 30 touchdowns tied him for second in the NFL.
San Francisco 49ers: Joe Montana
Joe Montana is the grandson of Italian immigrants and his last name is the Americanized version of the Northern Italian surname, Montani. Montana graduated from the University of Notre Dame and was later drafted during the third round as the 82nd pick by the San Francisco 49ers in the 1979 NFL Draft. Montana appeared in all 16 regular season games during the 1979 season as the backup quarterback and became the starting quarterback during the 1980 season. Montana would go on to win four Super Bowls and was named Super Bowl MVP 3 times. He is widely known as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
Seattle Seahawks: Breno Giacomini
Breno Giacomini is a native of Cambridge, Massachusetts of Italian descent from his great-grandfather. He found his love for football when he met New England Patriots quarterback, Drew Bledsoe. Giacomini was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round. In 2010, he was acquired by the Seattle Seahawks from the Packers practice squad. Although he only played in 9 games during the 2013 season, Giacomini helped the Seahawks win Super Bowl XLVIII.
AJ Forrisi
Assistant Editor for America Domani, AJ Forrisi is a Brooklyn-based writer and photographer. His work focuses on food, travel, sports, landscapes, and urban scenes. You can find him on Instagram @aj.photo.works.