Joseph William Righetti (born December 31, 1947) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

defensive tackle who played two seasons with the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round of the

1969 NFL Draft The 1969 National Football League draft was part of the common draft, the third and final year in which the NFL and American Football League (AFL) held a joint draft of college players. The draft took place January 28–29, 1969. The draft be ...

. He played college football at

Waynesburg University Waynesburg University is a private university in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1850 and offers undergraduate and graduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. The university enrolls over 2,500 students, including ...

and attended Bethlehem-Center High School in Fredericktown, Pennsylvania.

Early years

Righetti played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

at Bethlehem-Center High School. He was named most valuable lineman in his senior year.

College career

Righetti was a four-year starter for the

Waynesburg Yellow Jackets Waynesburg University is a private university in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1850 and offers undergraduate and graduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. The university enrolls over 2,500 students, including ...

. He earned NAIA All-American and NAIA All-District honors. He was also a Pennsylvania All-State

West Penn Conference The West Penn Conference (WPC) was an intercollegiate athletic conference that operated from 1958 to 1969. Its members were located in Western Pennsylvania and included the Carnegie Institute of Technology—now known as Carnegie Mellon Universit ...

selection. Righetti set a record with eighteen individual tackles in a game against the

Muskingum Fighting Muskies Muskingum University is a private liberal arts college in New Concord, Ohio. Chartered in 1837 as Muskingum College, the institution is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Collectively, the university's alumni are referred to as th ...

. He also participated in wrestling and track, placing fourth in the 1966 and 1967 NAIA National Wrestling Tournament and set the school record in the shot put. He was inducted into the Waynesburg College Sports Hall of Fame for both football and wrestling.

Professional career

Cleveland Browns

Righetti was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the 150th pick in the 1969 NFL Draft. He appeared in 23 games for the Browns from 1969 to 1970 before injuries shortened his career.

Personal life

Righetti coached high school football for nine years after his playing career and was also a teacher at

Whippany Park High School Whippany Park High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Hanover Township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States, operating as one of the two secondary schools of ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

References

External links

Just Sports Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Righetti, Joe 1947 births Living people American football defensive tackles Cleveland Browns players Waynesburg Yellow Jackets football players High school football coaches in New Jersey People from Washington County, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania