Nello Donald Falaschi (March 19, 1913 – July 29, 1986), sometimes listed as Nello Frederick Falaschi, also known by the nicknames "Flash" Falaschi and "Gunner" Falaschi, was an

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

player. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a private university, private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university' ...

Broncos from 1933 to 1936. He also played professional football for the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

from 1938 to 1941. He was inducted into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

in 1971 and the California High School Football Hall of fame in 2023.

Early life

Falaschi was born in 1913 at Dos Palos, California. He played

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

at Bellarmine College Preparatory in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

College career

Falaschi enrolled at

, where he played

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

for the Santa Clara Broncos football team. Known primarily as a ball carrier and blocker, he led the 1936 Santa Clara Broncos football team to an 8–1 and a victory in victory over LSU in the 1937 Sugar Bowl. At the end of the 1936 season, Fallaschi was selected as the first-team All-America quarterback by the

International News Service The International News Service (INS) was a U.S.-based news agency (newswire) founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909.

and the All-America Board of Football.

Professional career

Falaschi was selected by the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

in the second round (16th overall pick) of the 1937 NFL draft. Instead, he served as an assistant coach at Santa Clara and after the college football season ended, as a quarterback and fullback for the Salinas Ice Packers during the 1937 football season. The 1937 Salinas team included other star players including Larry Lutz, Larry Siemering, and Dick Bassi. In January 1938, Falaschi signed a contract to play for the

. He played for the Giants from 1938 to 1941. He appeared in 42 games for the Giants, 33 as a starter, and helped lead the 1938 Giants to the NFL championship and the

1939 This year also marks the start of the World War II, Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Events related to World War II have a "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Coming into effect in Nazi Ger ...

and 1941 teams to Eastern Division crowns. He was named to

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

team in 1938, 1939, and 1941. He was a 60-minute player who played at the back position on both offense and defense for the Giants and was known for his quarterback sacks. Falaschi entered the U.S. Navy in 1942 and played for the St. Mary's Pre-Flight football team before deploying overseas.

After football

After his football career ended, Falaschi became a general contractor in

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

. He was inducted into the

in 1971. He was the first player inducted from a Catholic university west of Notre Dame. Falaschi died in 1986 at age 71 in Oakland.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Falaschi, Nello 1913 births 1986 deaths American football quarterbacks New York Giants players Saint Mary's Pre-Flight Air Devils football players Santa Clara Broncos football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees Players of American football from Merced County, California Players of American football from San Jose, California Bellarmine College Preparatory alumni