Frank Varrichione obit

Frank Joseph Varrichione | 2018 | Obituary

 

He was not on the list.

FRAMINGHAM - Frank Joseph Varrichione, 85, peacefully passed away on Saturday, January 6, 2018. Frank was the beloved husband of Mitzi (Durock) Varrichione. He was the doting father of Vicki Garland and husband Doug, the late Frank Varrichione II and his wife Maria, Terri Henry and husband Edmund, and Lauri Baker. He was the proud grandfather of seven; Ron Varrichione, Sam Garland, Mark Henry, Hannah Garland, Anthony Varrichione, Matthew Henry and Michael Varrichione and was the great-grandfather of Annabella Varrichione.

Born in Natick, MA on January 14, 1932, Frank was the son of Joseph Varrichione and Mary Grace (Zugale) Varrichione. The youngest of ten, he was the cherished brother of Louise, Pat, Carmella, Netta, Tony, Betty, Annie, Francis, and Mario, along with a long list of nieces and nephews, cousins and second cousins. He was a generous friend to all who met him and he never said no to anyone in need.

Frank is a celebrated professional football player. He was a graduate of Natick High School and was a 4 year starter for the Notre Dame University football team. In 1955 he was a first round draft pick and was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers.  He played 11 years of professional football as right offensive tackle and retired from the Los Angeles Rams as the offensive captain. Frank played in five pro-bowl games including his rookie year. Frank was inducted into the Natick High School Athletic Hall of Fame, the Boston Chapter of the Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame and was selected for the right tackle position to the Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Legends team as well as a Steelers Hall of Famer.

Frank’s greatest joy came from the 64 years he spent with his wife Mitzi. Together they shared the comfort of family and cherished all the times their family came together to celebrate their devotion. They could always count on him to sing love songs to his wife at every gathering and learned from him what it meant to be a good and honest man. He did it his way.

A funeral Mass celebrating Frank’s magnificent life will be Thursday, January 11, 2018 at 10AM in St. Tarcisius Church, 562 Waverly St., Framingham. At the family’s request, there will be no Visiting Hours.

Arrangements are entrusted to the Norton Funeral Home, 53 Beech St., Framingham.

As a four-year starter for the high-profile Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Varrichione was a highly sought-after player in the 1955 NFL Draft. He was selected in the 1st Round by the Pittsburgh Steelers, the league's 6th pick overall, and the first offensive lineman chosen. Informed of his selection by a Pittsburgh newspaper writer via telephone, Varrichione predicted no difficulty in coming to financial terms with the Steelers and indicated a desire to play professional football for "as long as I can last." Varrichione's prediction proved accurate and by the first days of February he was under contract with the Steelers to play the 1955 season. Varrichione's first pro deal paid him $8,000 for the year — a substantial sum for an offensive lineman in that day.

Varrichione was well suited to the professional game and he was named to the 1955 Pro-Bowl Game, held in January following his rookie season. He saw action as part of the East team that eked out a controversial 31-30 victory over their other conference rivals.

His eagerness to sign a first NFL contract had dissipated by 1957, and Varrichione remained unsigned as the Steelers assembled at St. Bonaventure University in Olean, New York for the opening of training camp. No raise was forthcoming, however, and following a telephone conversation with team president Art Rooney, Varrichione signed on August 6 to play with the Steelers for another year, thereby completing the team's 45-man roster. Three days of practice were missed. Despite revelations that he battled partial deafness which forced him to wear a special helmet outfitted with a hearing aid, the season proved to be another good one for the 240-pound tackle and Varrichione was named to his second Pro Bowl at the end of the year.

Varrichione would repeat the feat in 1960 as one of five Pittsburgh Steelers named to the East squad. He was rewarded following the season with a new contract with the Steelers, this a three-year deal for an undisclosed amount — the longest contract of his career. The six-year veteran Pro Bowler seemed poised to finish his career in Steeler black and gold.

In April 1961, Varrichione's world was turned upside down when the Pittsburgh Steelers with which he had just signed a three-year deal traded his contract to the Los Angeles Rams for that of defensive tackle Lou Michaels, a 1958 first round pick who was just starting to come into his own as an NFL defensive star. The Steelers had hated to part company with a top offensive lineman like Varrichione, head coach Buddy Parker told the press at the time of the transaction, but the deal had to be done to provide vitally needed defensive strength. The exchange was an even one, with no other considerations changing hands. It would be the Rams with whom Varrichione played the rest of his career.

Due to family considerations, Varrichione threatened retirement following the 1961 season. "My wife is expecting her fourth child, and this traveling around is awfully tough," he told the press. "She doesn't want me to play anymore." Despite initially telling Rams general manager Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch that he planned to quit, Varrichione eventually relented and by the start of training camp for the 1962 campaign, he was ready to don the blue and gold of the Rams again.

Together with his Rams teammate Joe Carollo, a fellow Notre Dame alum, Varrichione played every single offensive play of the 1963 NFL season — 14 games in all. By his 11th and final season the right tackle Varrichione was honored by his peers through his choice as offensive captain of the team.

Varrichione played in a total of 133 NFL games over the course of his 11-year career. He was never made wealthy by the NFL, his top contract with the Rams bringing him just $20,000 per year. Varrichione was named to five NFL Pro Bowl teams, making the squad in 1955, 1957, 1958, 1960 and 1962.