Al Pierotti

{{Short description|American football and baseball player (1895–1964)}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Al Pierotti

| image = Al Pierotti (1918).png

| caption = Pierotti, {{circa}} 1918

| number = 42

| position = Center

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1895|10|24}}

| birth_place = Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1964|2|12|1895|10|24}}

| death_place = Revere, Massachusetts, U.S.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-pierotti/154429291/ |title=Pierotti |newspaper=The Boston Globe |page=30 |date=February 13, 1964 |accessdate=September 1, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}}

| height_ft = 5

| height_in = 10

| weight_lb = 204

| high_school = Everett (Massachusetts)

| college = Washington & Lee

| pastteams = * Akron Pros ({{NFL Year|1920}})

Cleveland Tigers ({{NFL Year|1920}})
New York Brickley Giants ({{NFL Year|1921}})
Milwaukee Badgers ({{NFL Year|1922}})
Racine Legion ({{NFL Year|1923}})
Milwaukee Badgers ({{NFL Year|1923|1924}})
Boston Bulldogs (1926)
Providence Steamrollers ({{NFL Year|1927}})
Boston Bulldogs ({{NFL Year|1929}})

| pastcoaching = * Tufts (1918)

Revere HS (1918)
East Technical HS (1920)
Cleveland Tigers (1920)
Chelsea HS (1935–1938; assistant)

| highlights = * APFA champion{{efn|See also: List of NFL champions (1920–1969)}} (1920)

| statlabel1 = Games played

| statvalue1 = 46

| statlabel2 = Games started

| statvalue2 = 36

| overall_record = {{Winning percentage|2|2|1|record=y}}{{efn|See also: 1920 Cleveland Tigers (NFL) season}}

| pfr = P/PierAl20

| pfrcoach = PierAl0

}}

Albert Felix Pierotti (October 24, 1895 – February 12, 1964) was an American professional athlete. He played gridiron football as a center, and baseball as a pitcher. His career spanned 1920–1929 in football, and 1920–1921 in major-league baseball.

Early years

Pierotti was born in Boston on October 24, 1895,{{cite web |url=https://www.fold3.com/image/275254082/ |title=Draft Registration Card |publisher=Selective Service System |date=April 1942 |via=fold.com |url-access=subscription |accessdate=August 31, 2024}} and attended school in Everett, Massachusetts. He pitched a no-hitter for Everett High School in 1914.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-school-baseball/154405174/ |title=School Baseball |newspaper=The Boston Globe |page=7 |date=June 18, 1914 |accessdate=August 31, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}}

Pierotti then attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, where he was captain of the Generals football team, president of the athletic association, and chairman of the athletic council.{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/calyx18wash/page/112/mode/2up |title=Calyx |date=1918 |publisher=Washington and Lee University |page=112 |accessdate=August 31, 2024 |via=Internet Archive}} He earned varsity letters in four sports—football, basketball, baseball, and track{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/calyx1917wash/page/180/mode/2up |title=Calyx |date=1917 |publisher=Washington and Lee University |page=181 |accessdate=August 31, 2024 |via=Internet Archive}}—and was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa.{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/calyx18wash/page/218/mode/2up |title=Calyx |date=1918 |publisher=Washington and Lee University |page=218 |accessdate=August 31, 2024 |via=Internet Archive}}

In 1918, Pierotti coached the football team at Tufts;{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-athletes-with-the-color/154403490/ |title=Athletes with the Colors |newspaper=The Boston Globe |page=4 |date=October 30, 1918 |accessdate=August 31, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}}{{efn|Tufts' 1918 football team was composed of students in the Student Army Training Corps (SATC), not unusual for colleges this season due to World War I.}} the team compiled a record of two wins and three losses.{{cite web |title=Tufts University Jumbos Football Program Records |url=https://gotuftsjumbos.com/sports/2022/5/27/program-records |publisher=Tufts University |access-date=August 31, 2024 |via=gotuftsjumbos.com}}

Washington and Lee University lists Pierotti as a member of the class of 1923, having first entered the school in 1914. He appears as a senior in the 1922 yearbook, which notes that he left school in 1917 "and made five attempts to enter the Service, being turned down each time."{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/calyx1922wash/page/68/mode/2up |title=Calyx |date=1922 |publisher=Washington and Lee University |page=69 |accessdate=September 1, 2024 |via=Internet Archive}} It is not clear when he returned to complete his degree. He appears in a list of students awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in June 1923.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-world-news-names-of-those-receiving/154407767/ |title=Names of Those Receiving Degrees At Washington & Lee |newspaper=Roanoke World-News |location=Roanoke, Virginia |page=5 |date=June 6, 1923 |accessdate=September 1, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}}

Football career

Pierotti played in the American Professional Football Association (APFA) during 1920 and 1921 with the Akron Pros, Cleveland Tigers and the New York Brickley Giants.{{efn|The New York Brickley Giants are unrelated to the modern-day New York Giants.}} Pierotti was a member of the 1920 APFA season champions with Akron.

When the AFPA became the National Football League (NFL) in 1922, Pierotti went on to play with the Milwaukee Badgers and Racine Legion through 1924. In 1926, Pierotti played for the Boston Bulldogs of the American Football League (AFL), an NFL rival started by Red Grange and his agent C. C. Pyle. After the Bulldogs folded, Pierotti played semi-professional football for the University of Peabody.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-peabody-strengthened-fo/154396965/ |title=Peabody Strengthened for Peres Tomorrow |newspaper=The Boston Globe |page=9 |date=November 27, 1926 |accessdate=August 31, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}} He returned to the NFL in 1927 with the Providence Steamrollers and completed his football career with the NFL's Boston Bulldogs in 1929.

Baseball career

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name = Al Pierotti

|position = Pitcher

|image = Al Pierotti.jpg

|image_size = 125px

|caption = Pierotti in March 1921

|bats = Right

|throws = Right

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate = August 9

|debutyear = 1920

|debutteam = Boston Braves

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate = April 24

|finalyear = 1921

|finalteam = Boston Braves

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label = Win–loss record

|stat1value = 1–2

|stat2label = Strikeouts

|stat2value = 13

|stat3label = Earned run average

|stat3value = 4.05

|teams =

Boston Braves ({{mlby|1920}}–{{mlby|1921}})

}}

Pierotti began his professional baseball career in 1919 with the minor-league Providence Grays of the Eastern League. The following season, he joined the Boston Braves in August, appearing in six games. His lone major-league victory came in a 3–2 win over the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds on September 27, 1920, when he allowed two runs on six hits and struck out three batters in a complete game effort.{{cite web |url=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1920/B09272NY11920.htm |title=Boston Braves 3, New York Giants 2 (2) |website=Retrosheet |date=September 27, 1920 |accessdate=September 1, 2024}} The Giants' defeat eliminated them from the pennant race.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cincinnati-enquirer-giants-are-elimi/154408867/ |title=Giants are Eliminated |newspaper=The Cincinnati Enquirer |page=8 |date=September 28, 1920 |accessdate=September 1, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}}

Pierotti pitched in two games for the Braves in 1921, before returning to the Eastern League with the Pittsfield Hillies. After one more season, split between Pittsfield and the Waterbury Brasscos,{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=pierot001alb |title=Al Pierotti Minor Leagues Statistics |website=Baseball-Reference.com |accessdate=August 31, 2024}} Pierotti returned to football full-time. Overall with the major-league Braves, Pierotti compiled a 1–2 win–loss record with a 4.05 earned run average (ERA) while striking out 13 batters in {{frac|26|2|3}} innings pitched.{{cite web |url=https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/P/Ppiera101.htm |title=Al Pierotti |website=Retrosheet |accessdate=August 31, 2024}}

Wrestling career

In 1931, Pierotti began appearing in professional wrestling matches.{{cite news |author=Sportsman |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-live-tips-and-topics/154397126/ |title=Live Tips and Topics |newspaper=The Boston Globe |page=9 |date=May 2, 1931 |accessdate=August 31, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}} On July 30, 1931, he challenged Jim Londos for the World Heavyweight Championship at the Coney Island Velodrome. Londos defeated Pierotti in 17:05 with an airplane spin.{{cite news |last=Daley |first=Arthur J. |authorlink=Arthur Daley (sportswriter) |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1931/07/31/118218224.pdf |title=Londos Keeps Title by Pinning Pierotti |newspaper=The New York Times |page=21 |date=July 31, 1931 |via=Times Machine |url-access=limited}} In 1932, Pierotti began refereeing matches at the Boston Arena while continuing to wrestle occasionally.{{cite news |last=O'Leary |first=James |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-martin-throws-pair-of-r/154397360/ |title=Martin Throws Pair of Rivals at Arena |newspaper=The Boston Globe |page=25 |date=December 8, 1932 |accessdate=August 31, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}}

Later life

In 1935, Pierotti became an assistant football coach at Chelsea High School.{{cite news |last=Dalton |first=Ernest |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-schoolboy-side-lights/154398800/ |title=Schoolboy Side Lights |newspaper=The Boston Globe |page=21 |date=September 11, 1935 |accessdate=August 31, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}} In 1936, he became head coach of the school's baseball team.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-scholastic-topics/154398889/ |title=Scholastic Topics |newspaper=The Boston Globe |page=32 |date=April 3, 1936 |accessdate=August 31, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}} From October 1936 to September 1938, he also hosted a "sports talk" radio show on WMEX.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-wmex/154431142/ |title=WMEX |newspaper=The Boston Globe |page=17 |date=October 12, 1936 |accessdate=September 1, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}}{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-evening/154431302/ |title=Evening |newspaper=The Boston Globe |page=9 |date=September 26, 1938 |accessdate=September 1, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}} Pierotti remained at Chelsea High School as a teacher and baseball coach until his death on February 12, 1964.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-albert-pierotti-chelse/154399048/ |title=Albert Pierotti, Chelsea Teacher, All-America, 67 |newspaper=The Boston Globe |page=35 |date=February 13, 1964 |accessdate=August 31, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}} He was survived by his wife.

Pierotti was inducted to the athletic hall of fame at Washington and Lee University in 1966.{{cite web |url=https://generalssports.com/honors/hall-of-fame/al-pierotti/113 |title=Hall of Fame: Al Pierotti |website=generalssports.com |accessdate=August 31, 2024}}