Michael Pascol Mandarino (March 16, 1921 in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

– 1985) was an

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 with ...

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

. He is one of only two

La Salle Explorers The La Salle Explorers are the varsity sports teams from La Salle University in Philadelphia. The Explorers compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The men's and women's basketball teams are also participate in the P ...

to enter 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 ...

. Mandarino used the money he earned as a professional football player to enter

medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...

, later providing medical services to the team he played for, the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

. While playing for the Eagles, Mandarino reportedly attended classes from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.. He would then rushed to the ballpark to practice under the lights with the Eagles, and after the game on Sundays he would again return to his studies. He repeated this routine in 1945, while as an

intern An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gover ...

. he reportedly earned $200 per game. According to Mandarino, coach

Greasy Neale Alfred Earle "Greasy" Neale (November 5, 1891 – November 2, 1973) was an American football and baseball player and coach. Early life and playing career Neale was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Although writers eventually assumed that Nea ...

reportedly told him to play tackle after

Vic Sears Victor Wilson Sears (March 14, 1918 – September 22, 2006) was an American football guard and tackle who played in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at Oregon State University where he was a ...

was injured. Neale stated that "If you are smart enough to be a doctor, you are smart enough to learn two sets of plays". The following week, both of Eagles'

centers Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics * Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

, Bap Manzini and

Vic Lindskog Victor Junior Lindskog (December 3, 1914 – February 28, 2003) was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles. Background Victor J. Lindskog was born in Roundup, Montana. He played c ...

, were injured, so Greasy came back and told Mandarino that he "should be smart enough to learn three sets of plays". He later taught at La Salle and won international fame for his research in

orthopedic surgery Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternatively spelt orthopaedics), is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

External links

New York Times death notice
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mandarino, Mike 1921 births 1985 deaths Players of American football from Philadelphia American football offensive linemen La Salle Explorers football players Philadelphia Eagles players American orthopedic surgeons 20th-century surgeons