John Giannantonio (born c. 1934) is a former American football player who set several national high school football records, many which still stand. As a 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), 137 lb (62 kg) sophomore at the now-defunct Netcong High School in Netcong, New Jersey in 1950, Giannantonio rushed for 4,756 yards and 41 touchdowns over the team's eight-game season.[1] During a game in November that season against Mountain Lakes High School he rushed for 754 yards and nine touchdowns in a 61–0 win.[2][3][4] His 594.5 rushing yards per game average, season rushing yards total, and single-game rushing yards against Mountain Lakes remain national high school records as of 2021.[1][5]
| Villanova Wildcats | |
|---|---|
| Position | Running back |
| Class | Graduate |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | c. 1934 Netcong, New Jersey |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| High school | Netcong (NJ) |
As a junior at Netcong, Giannantonio rushed for 38 touchdowns and had a 514-yard game.[5] He then transferred to Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida as a senior, but due to transfer rules, in order to retain his academic eligibility he did not play on the football team. After high school, he was offered a two-year scholarship to Notre Dame and a four-year scholarship to Villanova. He chose to attend Villanova and played on the varsity football team for three years but was unable to replicate his success from high school.[3] After his playing career, he returned to New Jersey and taught mathematics in the Andover Regional School District at Andover Regional Middle School for 38 years before retiring in 1995.[4][5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Johnny G.'s prodigious marks have endured since 1950". National Federation of State High School Associations. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
- ^ Walters, John (January 29, 2014). "Down and Out in New Jersey". Newsweek. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
- ^ a b Rohrbach, Ben (October 16, 2013). "Unbroken Records: Johnny G's single-game rushing standard". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
- ^ a b Di Ionno, Mark (November 7, 2010). "Netcong 76-year-old is a living legend for setting unbroken national high school football record in 1950". New Jersey On-Line. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
- ^ a b c Krider, Dave (September 16, 2013). "John Giannantonio still holds the national record for rushing yards in a game and in a season". MaxPreps. Retrieved July 24, 2016.