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Two months ago, at the first football game of the season, everyone was looking around for Armond Colombo. The patron saint of Brockton football was always, always on the sidelines for Brockton football games. He had been there, unceasingly, for a half-century, and he was still there, still unceasingly, after he retired in 2003 and passed on the rei...

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Giorgio Tavecchio is the 14th Italian to play in the National Football League. Before him Ralph D. Vince, Giovanni A. Bonadies, Giuseppe "Scanlon" Santone and Rocco Segretta in the 1920s; Giuseppe "Jumping Joe" Savoldi and Domenico Cara in the 1930s; Enio Conti, Bruno Banducci, Francesco Gaziano and Pietro Gorgone in the 1940s; Leo Nomellini in the...

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It no longer carries the U.S. Army stamp or the military pomp and circumstance that came with that, but making the All-American Bowl roster still is a really big deal. Naples High School's Chez Mellusi officially became one of 300 high school seniors in the nation to earn a spot in the annual high school all-star game in San Antonio's Alamodome on...

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Today, when chefs can be as famous as movie stars and their creations in the kitchen as admired as original works of art, there are few who rival the success and celebrity of Massimo Bottura. His restaurant, Osteria Francescana, has three Michelin stars and ranks number one on this year's list of "The World's 50 Best Restaurants." It's located in N...

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"My name is Gregorio Leonardo." The way that name rolls off of Topeka High kicker Gregorio Leonardo's tongue is effortless. It's almost as effortless as how the Italian foreign exchange student caught the eye of Trojan head football coach Walt Alexander. "I saw potential with him in the hallway, before I had ever seen him kick," Alexander said. "Ju...

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On January 1, 1945, a day of celebration despite the breakdowns of the war, in the stadium of Florence (Toscana) two teams of American soldiers, the 5th Army and the 12th Air Force, face each other in the first and only edition of Spaghetti Bowl. The correspondent of the Armed Forces newspaper, the Sunday edition of Star&Stripes Magazine, tells us...

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During a final respite from the NFL grind 5,000 miles away from his new life in Minnesota, John DeFilippo gazed out at the splendor of the Amalfi Coast atop one of the highest peaks in Positano, Italy. The Vikings offensive coordinator savored this time, which would be among his last football-free moments for months. It was easy to get lost staring...

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Michael Casinelli of Shelton did all he could to make his Gael football team the best it could be. In earning All State, All-Walter Camp, All-Southern Connecticut Conference, as well as USA Today All USA Connecticut honors, Casinelli put in his time in the weight room and went over video of opponents. He was as diligent with his studies. Casinelli...

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The book: Looming concerns about the long-term health effects of playing football — most notably, the prevalence of the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE — have led some to question the future of America’s most-watched sport. In 1st and Forever (Post Hill Press), Bob Casciola ’58 makes an earnest and personal argument that foot...

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The Atlanta Falcons signed kicker Giorgio Tavecchio to a contract, the team announced Monday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed for Tavecchio, who was released by the Oakland Raiders earlier this month. Tavecchio will battle Matt Bryant for the kicking responsibilities with the Falcons. The 28-year-old Italian replaced Sebastian Janikowski in 20...

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