Stephen Lawrence Petro (October 21, 1914 – August 15, 1994) was an American football guard who played two seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the ninth round of the 1939 NFL draft.[1] He played college football at the University of Pittsburgh and attended Greater Johnstown High School in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.[2]

Steve Petro
refer to caption
Petro in 1942
No. 31
Position:Guard
Personal information
Born:(1914-10-21)October 21, 1914
Johnstown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died:August 15, 1994(1994-08-15) (aged 79)
Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:194 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:Johnstown (PA)
College:Pittsburgh
NFL draft:1939 / round: 9 / pick: 72
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:17
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Petro played football for the Pittsburgh Panthers under head coach Jock Sutherland and later was an assistant football coach for the Panthers from 1950 to 1972. He was also the Assistant to the Athletic Director from 1973 to 1984. His Pitt nickname was "the Rock," based on Petro, a derivation of the Greek word petros, which means rock. The Pitt Panther mascot's nickname is ROC, in Steve's honor.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "1939 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  2. ^ "STEVE PETRO". profootballarchives.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  3. ^ "The Story Behind the Pittsburgh Panthers' Name "ROC"". University of Pittsburgh Department of Athletics. Archived from the original on July 26, 2008. Retrieved October 23, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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