Rocco Canale
Rocco Peter Canale (August 15, 1920 – November 1, 1995) was a professional football player in the National Football League (NFL). During his pro career, he split time between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Boston Yanks. However was also a member of the "Steagles", a team that was the result of a temporary merger between the Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers due to the league-wide manning shortages in 1943 brought on by World War II. Canale's brawny physique earned him the nickname "the Walking Billboard". Biography Rocco was born in 1920 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the son of Nicholas and Josephine Marzano Canale. While attending Watertown High School, he joined the football and wrestling teams. He then quickly becoming one of the school's finest athletes. He graduated in 1939 and received a football scholarship to attend Boston College. College football Prior to his professional career, Canale played at the college level while attending Boston College. There he played as an offensive and defensive lineman. His play would go on to earn him All-American and All-East honors. Canale's blocking and tackling abilities were key factors in Boston College's winning 26 of 31 games played during his varsity career. He was a member of the 1941 Sugar Bowl championship team and the 1943 Orange Bowl squad. He was inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993. Ed McMahon Ed McMahon, who later became Johnny Carson's sidekick on "The Tonight Show", met Canale while he was trying out for Boston College's football team. During a scrimmage, McMahon was assigned to play opposite Canale. While McMahon stopped him once, Canale soon afterwards hit him back even harder. This ended any dreams McMahon had of becoming a football player. 'He creamed me,' McMahon once said, 'and I turned in my uniforms'. Military service In 1943 Canale was drafted into the Army, temporarily suspending a professional football career. After training at Greensboro, North Carolina, and Miami Beach, Florida, he was assigned to the First Army Air Force Fighter Command Headquarters located at Mitchell Field in Long Island, New York. He was promoted to corporal in 1944. Canale's name is listed on the World War II Honor Roll, which lists the over 1,000 NFL personnel who served in the military during war. The listing of players has been inscribed on a plaque, located at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Pro football Canale was drafted in 1943 by, Eagles coach, Greasy Neale to play weekend ball with the Eagles. However 1943 saw the Eagles and Steelers merge to form the Steagles. That season, Canale played in seven games, and in the following year, he participated in nine more; his commanding officer was sympathetic to his desire to play pro football, and allowed him to play with the Steagles. Realizing the football talent among them, the First Army Air Force Fighter Command asked Canale play on its team. He played seven games with the Army in 1945 while still playing