> Defensive Tackle >>> 6-3, 259 (Minnesota)
> 1950-1963 San Francisco 49ers
> Leo Joseph Nomellini. . .Two-time Minnesota All-America. . . 49ers'
> first-ever NFL draft choice, 1950. . .Played every 49ers game for 14
> seasons, 174 regular-season and 266 pro games in all. . .Excellent
defensive
> pass rusher, bulldozing offensive blocker. . .All-NFL six times, two years
> on offense, four years on defense. . .Named NFL's all-time defensive
tackle.
> . . Played in 10 Pro Bowl games. . .Born June 19, 1924, in Lucca, Italy. .
> .Died October 17, 2000, at age of 76.
> To many of his opponents, it must have seemed that Leo Nomellini was
around
> an awfully long time. He was, too, for he didn't miss a game for the San
> Francisco 49ers from the day they first played in the NFL in 1950 until
> after the 1963 campaign, 14 long years later.
> Leo played in 174 straight regular-season games and counting all
> appearances, including 10 Pro Bowl games, he played in 266 pro contests.
> Nomellini was an All-America tackle for two years at Minnesota and the
> number one draft choice of the 49ers in 1950.
> The choice of Nomellini proved to be a superb one. At 6-3 and 260, "The
> Lion" had everything needed to be an all-time pro great - size, speed,
> agility, aggressiveness, dedication to the game, superb conditioning and
the
> willingness to go the full 60 minutes of any game.
> Nomellini was one of the few players ever to win All-NFL recognition both
on
> offense and defense. Leo was named all-league at offensive tackle in 1951
> and 1952, and then received All-NFL honors for his defensive line play in
> 1953, 1954, 1957, and 1959.
> The status as an all-time pro grid great is a far cry from the
impoverished
> days Leo knew as a youth. Born in Lucca, Italy, in 1924, Nomellini came to
> Chicago as an infant. Because he had to work to help support his family,
Leo
> had to pass up high school football. So the first game he ever saw was one
> he played in, as a member of the Cherry Point, N.C., Marines team.
> Later, at Minnesota, he was a starter in the first college game he ever
saw.
> Freshmen were eligible then and it was the start of a brilliant four-year
> college career. Like a fine old wine, Leo improved with age during his
long
> term with the 49ers. When he finally retired at 39 after 14 years of
> battering the enemy, Nomellini had been tagged "indestructible." It was a
> tag he had truly earned and appreciated.
> --
> Do you know where your towel is?
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