Joseph Francis Perantoni (September 13, 1923 – September 11, 1991) was an American football player who played at the center position. He played college football for Princeton and professional football for the New York Yankees.
| No. 20 | |||||
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| Position: | Center | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | September 13, 1923 Raritan, New Jersey | ||||
| Died: | September 11, 1991 (aged 67) Somerville, New Jersey | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Somerville (NJ) Blair Academy (NJ) | ||||
| College: | Princeton | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Early years
editPerantoni was born in 1923 in Raritan, New Jersey. He attended and played football at Somerville High School and then played at Blair Academy after he graduated, both in New Jersey.[1]
College football and military service
editPerantoni attended Princeton University and played for the 1942 Princeton Tigers football team.[2] He became the second freshman to gain a spot in Princeton's varsity lineup.[3]
His college career was interrupted by World War II. He was a pilot who flew B-24s in the United States Army Air Corps.[4]
Perantoni returned to Princeton after the ware and played for the 1946 and 1947 Princeton seasons.[5] In October 1946, he was elected by his teammates as the team captain.[6] At the end of the 1947 season, he received Princeton's top football award, the John Prentiss Poe Cup.[7] Coach Charlie Caldwell called Perantoni "one of the finest football players I have seen in 22 years of coaching."[8] He was also invited to play in the East-West Shrine Game in 1946.[9]
Professional football
editHe played professional football in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) for the New York Yankees during the 1948 and 1949 seasons. He appeared in a total of 26 games for the Yankees.[5][10] He was the first person from Raritan to play professional football. On November 28, 1948, the Yankees celebrated "Perantoni Day" at Yankee Stadium; he was presented with an automobile by fans as part of the celebration.[1]
Family and later years
editPerantoni was married in December 1946 to Madeline Harcarik.[11] After his playing career ended, he went to work as an architect. In 1950, he was a founder of the firm of Shive, Spinelli and Perantoni in New Jersey. He remained with that firm as an active partner until 1979 and as a consultant until his death.[4] In 1991, Perantoni died at age 67 in Somerville, New Jersey, where he had lived for several decades.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b "Perantoni To Be Feted". The Courier-News. November 27, 1948. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Perantoni Looks Good: Last Year's Blair Ace Breaks Into Tiger Varsity Line". The Morning Call. October 16, 1947. p. 26 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Perantoni Gains Princeton Berth: Center Is Second Freshman to Win Varsity Ranking - Blocking Stressed". The New York Times. October 15, 1942. p. 29.
- ^ a b Carl Barbati (September 19, 1991). "Genteleman Perantoni recalled". The Courier-News. p. 35 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Frank Perantoni". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ "Perantoni Named Captain: Princeton Center to Lead Team for Balance of Season". The New York Times. October 17, 1946. p. 39 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Princeton Splits Award of Poe Cup: Quarterback West and Center Perantoni Will Share Tiger Trophy for Football". The New York Times. December 2, 1947. p. 39.
- ^ "Princeton's Top Football Award Shared by Perantoni and West". The Courier-News. December 2, 1947. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Frank Perantoni Impresses: Former Princeton Star Now Seeing Service as Yankees' First String Center". The Daily Home News. August 5, 1948. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Frank Perantoni Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ "Madeline Harcarik Wed To J. Francis Perantoni". The Courier-News. January 2, 1947. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "J. Frank Perantoni, dies at 67; architect served as councilman". The Home News. September 12, 1991. p. B6 – via Newspapers.com.