 Vetrano in 1949 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 92, 82 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Halfback Defensive back Kicker | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | (1918-10-15)October 15, 1918 Neptune, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died: | May 10, 1995(1995-05-10) (aged 76) Berkeley, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 170 lb (77 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Neptune (NJ) | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Southern Mississippi | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
As a player: | |||||||||||||||
As a coach: | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Joseph George Vetrano (October 15, 1918 – May 10, 1995) was an American professionalfootballhalfback andplacekicker who played four seasons with theSan Francisco 49ers of theAll-America Football Conference (AAFC). He playedcollege football at theUniversity of Southern Mississippi. He graduated fromNeptune High School inNeptune Township, New Jersey in 1936 and was inducted in the school's inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.[1]
Vetrano played for theSouthern Miss Golden Eagles from 1940 to 1942. He was inducted into the Southern Miss Golden Eagles M–Club Alumni Association Sports Hall of Fame on February 20, 1965.[2][3]
Vetrano signed with the AAFC'sSan Francisco 49ers after serving in theUnited States Army Air Forces duringWorld War II and played for the 49ers from 1946 to 1949.[2][4] He was nicknamed "The Little Toe", which was later shortened to "The Toe", during his pro career and recorded an AAFC record 108extra points. On one extra point attempt, holderFrankie Albert fumbled the snap and Vetrano scored the point on adrop kick.[5] He told a story of mistakenly being sent in to kick on third down and ending up scoring a touchdown.[6]
Vetrano was an assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers from 1953 to 1956.[7] He also served as a chief scout for the 49ers.[5] He helped thebackfield as an assistant coach for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles in 1967.[2] Vetrano later coachedhigh school football in New Jersey.[5]
Vetrano died ofheart failure inBerkeley, California on May 10, 1995.[5]