Mario Trafeli, Jr. (June 6, 1928 – January 21, 2022) was an American

speed skater Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating. ...

from Detroit, Michigan, United States. He began skating at age 14 and was nationally ranked by 15. By the age of 18 he became the youngest winner of the North American Outdoor Speedskating Championship.

Biography

Raised in Detroit, Trafeli attended

University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy The University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy was founded in 1877, and is one of two Jesuit high schools in the city of Detroit, Michigan, the other being Loyola High School. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit, the sc ...

. He began speedskating at 14 and was nationally ranked within a year of starting on the track. In January 1947, he became the youngest winner of the North American Outdoor Speedskating Championship, winning at the age of 18 a race covering held at

Belle Isle Park Belle Isle Park, known simply as Belle Isle (), is a island park in Detroit, Michigan, developed in the late 19th century. It consists of Belle Isle, an island in the Detroit River, as well as several surrounding islets. The U.S.-Canada border ...

in Detroit against top American and Canadian competitors. Of the seven events held at the championship, Trafeli won two events (the one-mile and five-mile races) and came in third in three, earning 90 points to win the title ahead of former Olympian

Ray Blum Raymond Edward Blum (April 11, 1919 – May 5, 2010) was an American speed skating, speed skater who competed at the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz. He placed 20th in the Speed skating at the 1948 Winter Olympics – Men's 1500 metres, Men ...

, who would have won the title if he had finished in second place (or better) in the final race. Trafeli won the International Race of Champions, a distance race at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

, in both 1952 and 1954. During his career, he set five United States records at various distances and won the Michigan Indoor Short Track Champion on six occasions. While serving as a dentist with the United States Navy Dental Corps with the rank of lieutenant (junior grade) in 1955, Trafeli won the Chicago Silver Skates championship at the two-mile distance. His accomplishments during his skating career earned him induction into the Michigan Amateur Sports Hall of Fame in 1982, and the National Speedskating Hall of Fame,Speed Skaters: Mario Trafeli
, National Speedskating Museum. Accessed November 14, 2015. the

National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit institution honoring exceptional U.S. athletes of Italian descent. In 1977 George Randazzo created the Italian American Boxing Hall of Fame. This was as a means for rai ...

(where he was the first speedskater to be inducted)Mario Trafeli

. Accessed November 15, 2015. and the Michigan Speedskating Association Hall of Fame, all in 2010. Trafeli graduated from the

in 1945. He attended Wayne State University as part of the class of 1951, where he continued skating competitively while playing quarterback for the Wayne State Warriors football team, despite standing and weighing . He served as a dentist in the United States Navy after earning a D.D.S. degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry in 1954. A resident of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Trafeli was married to the former Marjorie Busch, whom he met while in dental school. They have six children. He maintained a dental practice in Bloomfield Hills. After taking up the sport of tennis at the age of 48, Trafeli earned a spot as the top ranked singles tennis player in the state by the age of 55, a status he maintained for 15 years. At the age of 70 he was ranked first in the Midwestern United States. He won the Southeast Michigan Men's 80 and over doubles championship together with partner Dave Mitchell and has been ranked as half of the top doubles team in the Midwest for those aged 80 and over. Trafeli died on January 21, 2022, at the age of 93.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trafeli, Mario 1928 births 2022 deaths American male speed skaters American male tennis players American military sports players People from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Sportspeople from Oakland County, Michigan Sportspeople from Detroit University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy alumni Wayne State Warriors football players American people of Italian descent United States Navy officers