Joseph George Vetrano (October 15, 1918 – May 10, 1995) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. S ...

who played four seasons with the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's Nationa ...

of the

All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many of the ...

(AAFC). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

at the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to a ...

and attended

Neptune High School Neptune High School is a comprehensive four-year community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Neptune Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Neptune Townsh ...

Neptune Township, New Jersey Neptune Township is a township in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population was 28,061, an increase of 126 from the 2010 census enumeration of 27,935, in turn an increase of 245 ( ...

College career

Vetrano played for the

Southern Miss Golden Eagles The Southern Miss Golden Eagles and Lady Eagles (also known as Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles and Lady Eagles) are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Southern Mississippi (USM), located in Hattiesburg, Miss ...

from 1940 to 1942. He was inducted into the Southern Miss Golden Eagles M–Club Alumni Association Sports Hall of Fame on February 20, 1965.

Professional career

Vetrano signed with the AAFC's

after serving in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and played for the 49ers from 1946 to 1949. He was nicknamed "The Little Toe", which was later shortened to "The Toe", during his pro career and recorded an AAFC record 108

extra point The conversion, try (American football, also known as a point(s) after touchdown, PAT, or (depending on the number of points) extra point/2-point conversion), or convert (Canadian football) occurs immediately after a touchdown during which the sc ...

s. On one extra point attempt, holder

Frankie Albert Frank Cullen Albert (January 27, 1920 – September 4, 2002) was an American gridiron football player and coach. He played as a quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL). Albert attended Stanford University, ...

fumbled the snap and Vetrano scored the point on a

drop kick A drop kick is a type of kick in various codes of football. It involves a player dropping the ball and then kicking it as it touches the ground. Drop kicks are used as a method of restarting play and scoring points in rugby union and rugby lea ...

. He told a story of mistakenly being sent in to kick on third down and ending up scoring a touchdown.

Coaching career

Vetrano was an assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers from 1953 to 1956. He also served as a chief scout for the 49ers. He helped the

backfield The offensive backfield is the area of an American football field behind the line of scrimmage. The offensive backfield can also refer to members of offense who begin plays behind the line, typically including any backs on the field, such as the ...

as an assistant coach for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles in 1967. Vetrano later coached

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, partl ...

in New Jersey.

Death

Vetrano died of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...

on May 10, 1995.

References

External links

Just Sports Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vetrano, Joe 1918 births 1995 deaths American football defensive backs American football halfbacks American football placekickers Southern Miss Golden Eagles football coaches Southern Miss Golden Eagles football players San Francisco 49ers (AAFC) players San Francisco 49ers coaches San Francisco 49ers scouts High school football coaches in New Jersey United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Neptune High School alumni People from Neptune Township, New Jersey Sportspeople from Monmouth County, New Jersey Players of American football from New Jersey San Francisco 49ers players