Michael J. Getto (September 18, 1905 – August 27, 1960) was a professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

coach in 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 ...

for the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

in 1942. That season, he coached Brooklyn to a 3–8 record. Prior to his coaching career, Getto played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

while attending the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

, where he earned All-American honors in 1928. After graduating from Pitt, Getto remained with the school as a football coach for the freshman team. He then worked as an assistant football coach from 1929 to 1939 and again in 1947 to 1950 at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

. While at Kansas, Getto inspired his hometown of

Jeannette, Pennsylvania Jeannette is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Jeannette was founded in 1888. The city got its name from one of the original city fathers, who wished to honor his wife, Jeannette McLaughlin, by giving the new town her fi ...

to adopt the Jayhawk mascot for their high school athletic teams.

References

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List of Pitt's First Team All-Americans
{{DEFAULTSORT:Getto, Mike 1905 births 1960 deaths All-American college football players American football tackles Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL) coaches Kansas Jayhawks baseball coaches Kansas Jayhawks football coaches Pittsburgh Panthers football coaches Pittsburgh Panthers football players People from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania