Tommy De Vito, Mark Bavaro, and Other Italian American Tough Guys

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by John1941

Yeah, though I didn't know it.

I'd never heard of Mark Bavaro before, but that's kind of an amazing play.

The Giants would show that play at training camp every year for decades (maybe the still do).

There's a great interview of Bavaro on youtube, which goes into his family history: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7vW_0vL5qs

[John1941]

That was a cool interview - thanks for sharing.

Is it my imagination or was football much more brutal in the 1980s?

[bk400]

Originally Posted by cgjackson222

The Giants would show that play at training camp every year for decades (maybe the still do).

There's a great interview of Bavaro on youtube, which goes into his family history: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7vW_0vL5qs

That's an awesome interview. I love the end: "Tough."

I don't think there is a more beloved player among old school Giants fans than Mark Bavaro.

(I happened to purchase this card about a week ago.)

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by bk400

That's an awesome interview. I love the end: "Tough."

I don't think there is a more beloved player among old school Giants fans than Mark Bavaro.

(I happened to purchase this card about a week ago.)

Wow, awesome pickup!

This other interview is entertaining as well, especially when they talk about how Bavaro kept his stength up after he broke his jaw and had it wired shut.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH50FyoM6Dk

[bk400]

Originally Posted by cgjackson222

Wow, awesome pickup!

This other interview is entertaining as well, especially when they talk about how Bavaro kept his stength up after he broke his jaw and had it wired shut.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH50FyoM6Dk

This is bona fide crazy stuff. I wonder how many players today would have their jaw wired shut in the first half and then return in the second half of the same game. Probably answers John1941's query about whether the league was more brutal back then.

I believe there was an interview where Ronnie Lott said that he is still haunted by Mark Bavaro dragging him for 15 yards on national television.

(As an aside, I changed the subject of this thread to reflect its broadened subject matter.)

[Chuck9788]

Here (below) are some Italian Americans that made the Football Hall Of Fame.

[Chuck9788]

[Shoeless Moe]

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...appearance-fee