Joseph William Righetti (born December 31, 1947) is a former

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 ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the l ...

who played two seasons with the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conferenc ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

(NFL). He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round of the 1969 NFL Draft. 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 Waynesburg University and attended Bethlehem-Center High School in

Fredericktown, Pennsylvania Fredericktown is a census-designated place located in East Bethlehem Township, Washington County in the state of Pennsylvania. The community was part of the Fredericktown-Millsboro CDP for the 2000 census, but was split into two separate CDPs ...

Early years

Righetti played

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 ...

at Bethlehem-Center High School. He was named most valuable lineman in his senior year.

College career

Righetti was a four-year starter for the

Waynesburg Yellow Jackets Waynesburg University is a private university in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1850 and offers undergraduate and graduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. The university enrolls over 2,500 students, including ...

. He earned NAIA All-American and NAIA All-District honors. He was also a Pennsylvania All-State West Penn Conference selection. Righetti set a record with eighteen individual tackles in a game against the Muskingum Fighting Muskies. He also participated in wrestling and track, placing fourth in the 1966 and 1967 NAIA National Wrestling Tournament and set the school record in the

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's c ...

. He was inducted into the Waynesburg College Sports Hall of Fame for both football and wrestling.

Professional career

Cleveland Browns

Righetti was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the 150th pick in the 1969 NFL Draft. He appeared in 23 games for the Browns from 1969 to 1970 before injuries shortened his career.

Personal life

Righetti coached high school football for nine years after his playing career and was also a teacher at

Whippany Park High School Whippany Park High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Hanover Township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States, operating as one of the two secondary schools of ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

References

External links

Just Sports Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Righetti, Joe 1947 births Living people American football defensive tackles Cleveland Browns players Waynesburg Yellow Jackets football players High school football coaches in New Jersey People from Washington County, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania