Joseph George Marconi (February 6, 1934 – August 23, 1992) was an American professional football fullback who played professionally for the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears in the National Football League (NFL).

Biography Marconi was born in the Pittsburgh area city of Frederickton, Pennsylvania on February 6, 1934. He played football in high school and was offered an athletic scholarship at the University of Maryland, but he didn't like the school and found himself at West Virginia University.

He was first used on defense, but was found to be too productive on offense in the running game and was part of the backfield. As a running back, he piled up 998 career yards on 181 carries for an impressive 5.5 average and 18 touchdowns.

Marconi helped West Virginia to a 31–7 record during his four-year tenure. He was selected to play in the College Football All-Star Game and the Blue–Gray Football Classic after his senior season and he ended up being the Los Angeles Rams first pick in the 1956 draft. He accumulated impressive yardage as a Ram with 1,769 yards and 21 touchdowns. He was traded to the Bears before the 1962 season.

On January 1, 1964, Marconi was injured in a New Year's Day brawl at a bowling alley in Willowbrook, Illinois that resulted in the death of former Illinois linebacker Tony Parrilli, who was accidentally shot by the Willowbrook police chief. The bowling alley was owned by Bears tight end Mike Ditka.

He played five years with the Bears organization and was elected to the Pro Bowl in 1964. In 1966, he retired from football to become a sales representative in the steel business.

NFL career statistics Legend Won the NFL championship Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Rushing Receiving GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1956 RAM 12 3 75 298 4.0 23 7 12 70 5.8 31 0 1957 RAM 10 3 104 481 4.6 31 3 16 171 10.7 61 1 1958 RAM 12 8 89 428 4.8 45 1 10 87 8.7 15 0 1959 RAM 12 3 52 176 3.4 21 4 10 81 8.1 30 1 1960 RAM 12 4 42 240 5.7 75 3 9 32 3.6 17 0 1961 RAM 13 0 36 146 4.1 14 3 4 20 5.0 8 1 1962 CHI 13 4 89 406 4.6 57 5 23 306 13.3 63 1 1963 CHI 14 6 118 446 3.8 19 2 28 335 12.0 63 2 1964 CHI 13 7 46 98 2.1 8 2 20 181 9.1 29 3 1965 CHI 14 4 19 47 2.5 10 0 4 43 10.8 29 0 1966 CHI 10 1 3 5 1.7 3 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 Career 135 43 673 2,771 4.1 75 30 136 1,326 9.8 63 9

Playoffs Year Team Games Rushing Receiving GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1963 CHI 1 1 3 5 1.7 3 0 3 64 21.3 34 0 Career 1 1 3 5 1.7 3 0 3 64 21.3 34 0

Death Marconi died in Downers Grove, Illinois, his home.

References