Lou Palazzi
Encyclopedia
Louis Joseph Palazzi was an American football
player who later officiated from 1952 through 1981 as an umpire in the National Football League
(NFL). Palazzi was the umpire in three Super Bowl
s, IV, VII and XI; worked nine NFL championship games, including 1958 championship game
between the Baltimore Colts
and the New York Giants
; and was assigned to work in the postseason in his final 25 seasons in the league.
in 1921, son of the late Augusto and Rose Uguccioni Palazzi, he and his family immediately settled in Pennsylvania
, where he was a resident for most of his life. A 1939 graduate of Dunmore High School
, he was an all-scholastic center on the football team, was co-captain, and participated in the 1939 Scranton Dream Game.
for the next four years and was a walk-on for the football team. In his junior year, he became the starting center/linebacker. In his senior year, 1942, he was elected team captain and made the Associated Press
All-East team.
and fought in World War II
. During this time, he played football for the Fourth and Fifth Air Force Bombers, teams used to raise money for the war effort. After the war, he received a master’s degree from Penn State in industrial engineering and was drafted in the fifth round by the New York Giants
.
in 1949. After that, Chicago Bears
owner George Halas
, who tried to get Palazzi to play for him, got him back into the league as an official in 1951.
, VII
and XI
, and was called by the media "the fastest man on the ball." He also was rated as the best foul-weather official in the league. Palazzi, who wore uniform number 51 (later worn by Dale Orem and now by referee Carl Cheffers
) for most of his career (except for the 1979-1981 seasons, when officials were numbered separately by position, when he wore number 3), worked the final 11 seasons of his career (1971–81) as the umpire on the crew of referee Bob Frederic.
. He concurrently aided his father in the ancient family gardening business. In 1959, he became a registered landscape architect in Pennsylvania and assumed control of Palazzi Garden Centers and Landscaping, which he operated until his retirement in 1992.
Palazzi died at the Dunmore, Pennsylvania
Health Care Center on January 7, 2007 at the age of 85.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who later officiated from 1952 through 1981 as an umpire in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL). Palazzi was the umpire in three Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
s, IV, VII and XI; worked nine NFL championship games, including 1958 championship game
NFL Championship Game, 1958
The 1958 National Football League Championship Game was played on December 28, 1958 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. It was the first ever National Football League playoff game to go into sudden death overtime. The final score was Baltimore Colts 23, New York Giants 17. The game has since...
between the Baltimore Colts
History of the Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls....
and the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
; and was assigned to work in the postseason in his final 25 seasons in the league.
Early life
Born in Groton, ConnecticutGroton, Connecticut
Groton is a town located on the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 39,907 at the 2000 census....
in 1921, son of the late Augusto and Rose Uguccioni Palazzi, he and his family immediately settled in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, where he was a resident for most of his life. A 1939 graduate of Dunmore High School
Dunmore High School
Dunmore High School is the secondary education, public school for the borough of Dunmore, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Dunmore School District. It is also part of one of the three school districts in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania that does not include surrounding boroughs.-Administration:*...
, he was an all-scholastic center on the football team, was co-captain, and participated in the 1939 Scranton Dream Game.
College career
Palazzi attended Penn State UniversityPennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
for the next four years and was a walk-on for the football team. In his junior year, he became the starting center/linebacker. In his senior year, 1942, he was elected team captain and made the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
All-East team.
Military service
After graduating from Penn State with a degree in industrial arts, Palazzi joined the United States Army Air CorpsUnited States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
and fought in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. During this time, he played football for the Fourth and Fifth Air Force Bombers, teams used to raise money for the war effort. After the war, he received a master’s degree from Penn State in industrial engineering and was drafted in the fifth round by the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Player
Palazzi was the starting center for the Giants from 1946 to 1948 and ended his playing career with the Boston YanksBoston Yanks
The Boston Yanks were a National Football League team based in Boston, Massachusetts that played from 1944 to 1948. The team played its home games at Fenway Park. Games that conflicted with the Boston Red Sox schedule were held at the Manning Bowl in Lynn, Massachusetts...
in 1949. After that, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
owner George Halas
George Halas
George Stanley Halas, Sr. , nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was a player, coach, owner and pioneer in professional American football. He was the iconic longtime leader of the NFL's Chicago Bears...
, who tried to get Palazzi to play for him, got him back into the league as an official in 1951.
Official
In 1952, Palazzi began his career as an NFL umpire, where he remained for the next 30 seasons. Palazzi worked a playoff game for the last 25 years of his tenure, including nine NFL championships, one of which was the 1958 "Greatest Game Ever Played," the Giants/Colts sudden-death championship. He later officiated Super Bowl IVSuper Bowl IV
Super Bowl IV was the fourth AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, and the second one to officially bear the name "Super Bowl"...
, VII
Super Bowl VII
Super Bowl VII was an American football game played on January 14, 1973, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1972 regular season...
and XI
Super Bowl XI
Super Bowl XI was a football game played on January 9, 1977 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1976 regular season...
, and was called by the media "the fastest man on the ball." He also was rated as the best foul-weather official in the league. Palazzi, who wore uniform number 51 (later worn by Dale Orem and now by referee Carl Cheffers
Carl Cheffers
Carl Cheffers is an American football official in the National Football League since the 2000 NFL season, who wears uniform number 51.-Personal:Carl Cheffers is married and has two children...
) for most of his career (except for the 1979-1981 seasons, when officials were numbered separately by position, when he wore number 3), worked the final 11 seasons of his career (1971–81) as the umpire on the crew of referee Bob Frederic.
Outside of football
From 1950 to 1958, Palazzi was an industrial arts teacher and assistant football coach at West Scranton High SchoolWest Scranton High School
West Scranton High School, is a community-based school in the "West Side" neighborhood of Scranton, Pennsylvania opened to the public in 1935, first as a junior high facility and later as a high school. One of the oldest schools in the area, it has about 32 clubs and 17 sports. It hosts grades 9...
. He concurrently aided his father in the ancient family gardening business. In 1959, he became a registered landscape architect in Pennsylvania and assumed control of Palazzi Garden Centers and Landscaping, which he operated until his retirement in 1992.
Palazzi died at the Dunmore, Pennsylvania
Dunmore, Pennsylvania
Dunmore is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, adjoining Scranton. Dunmore was settled in 1835 and incorporated in 1862. Extensive anthracite coal, brick, stone, and silk interests had led to a rapid increase in the population to 8,315 in 1890, 12,583 in 1900, 17,615 in 1910, 20,250 in...
Health Care Center on January 7, 2007 at the age of 85.