Rocky Marciano Nephew Star Athlete Peter Marciano Jr. Dies at 48 in Brockton
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om39PuqfVGA
Iowa Hawkeyes Head Coach Kirk Ferentz, talks about Peter, with career highlights.
Peter Marciano Jr., a baseball and football star who was the nephew of the late World Heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano, tragically passed away at home earlier this week on December 21, 2015, in Brockton, Massachusetts. Peter Marciano Jr. was 48 years old, only one year less than his famous uncle.
Although Peter was never a boxer, he was a baseball and championship football star at Brockton High School, one of their best all-around athletes ever, and was inducted into the Brockton High School Hall of Fame. Known for his athletic toughness and tremendous sense of humor, Peter scored three touchdowns in the area high school championship victory over Lexington in 1984.
Following graduation from Brockton High School, Peter played college football for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes as a wide receiver and punt returner on the 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989 teams, and appeared on national television for the Hawkeyes in the Rose Bowl. His college career at Iowa included 121 punt returns for 746 yards, a difficult role.
He went on to play pro football in Italy for team Bologna, where he once scored four touchdowns in one game. After his pro football career ended, Peter returned to Brockton as a civic leader. Marciano worked at the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission. Peter was elected to various municipal roles in Brockton, including one term serving on the Brockton School Committee from 1993 through 1995, and two terms on the Brockton City Council from 1999 to 2003. He also served as a baseball umpire.
Retired longtime Hawkeye coach Hayden Fry, a pillar within the Iowa football community, called his wide receiver Peter Marciano Jr. one of the greatest competitors” he ever had during 47 years of coaching.
“Even when he was hurt, Peter played with 110 percent effort,” said Fry from his home in Mesquite, Nevada. “He had that Marciano bloodline, tough as anybody who ever played.”
“He was really quite an accomplished athlete, and a tremendous football player,” his father, Peter Marciano Sr., the brother of Rocky Marciano, noted.
Peter Marciano Jr. is survived by his mother and father, a sister and two brothers, his wife and two children, and the extended Marciano family. After cremation, a memorial mass was held at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Brockton.
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