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The wall of a North Harlem Avenue building in Dunning inspired Ron Onesti as he searched for a new home for the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame — and for a large canvas to promote American athletes of Italian descent. “One of the reasons I bought that building was because of that wall,” says Onesti, president of the Hall of Fame. “Tha...

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It has come to my attention that this is Italian Heritage Month. OK, it came to my attention via an email from my boss. So, you know what that means? Yep, time for another list. I pondered what list − great Italian-American inventors (DaVinci, Marconi, Mr. Noodle), great Italian-American singers (Bennett, Sinatra, Johnny Fontane), great Italian-Ame...

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Tragically, as surely all fight fans know, the great Rocky Marciano lost his life at the young age of just 45, this on this day back in 1969. Perishing in a plane crash, Rocky died the day before what would have been his 46th birthday. Indeed, it was 100 hundred years ago today, September 1st, when the man plenty of historians say deserves to be ra...

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It'd be hard to find many more iconic figures in all of Americana than Rocky. There have been, what feels like, 100,000 movies made about him. The Rocky Steps in Philadelphia are one of the top tourist attractions along the East Coast. Everyone can do a Sylvester Stallone impression of the famed boxer. Although most of what he does in the films is...

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First-generation, Italian American Rocky Marciano’s training routine and incredible determination continue to define his unbeaten boxing legacy. Marciano’s distinguished boxing career achieved a 49-0 record with 43 knockouts and compiled an 88% knockout rate of his heavyweight opponents. Marciano achieved the unimaginable as an undersized fighter w...

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Legendary Italian American boxer Rocky Marciano held the heavyweight boxing title from 1952 to 1956. He is the only heavyweight champion to have finished his career undefeated. He had 43 knockout wins and won all 49 of his professional fights. Rocky was knocked down only twice in his entire professional career. Many boxing fans say that Muhammad Al...

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With the Great Depression and Second World War firmly in its rear-view mirror, the 1950s saw the United States of America finally transition into a state of normality. Poverty had evolved into prosperity, radios made way for TVs and most importantly, life, which had been rife with uncertainty, was simple again.  It was an age that embodied the Amer...

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Being heavyweight champion of the world was a big deal when professional boxing was a mainstream sport – a very big deal. And in the early 1950s, an Italian-American called Rocky Marciano was the guy. Born Rocco Marchegiano on Sept. 1, 1923, he was one of six children in a working-class Italian immigrant family – his father came from Abruzzo and hi...

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With the Great Depression and Second World War firmly in its rear-view mirror, the 1950s saw the United States of America finally transition into a state of normality. Poverty had evolved into prosperity, radios made way for TVs and most importantly, life, which had been rife with uncertainty, was simple again.  It was an age that embodied the Amer...

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There can be little doubt that the story of working-class Italian-Americans making the big time in boxing is a truly loved and time-tested one; especially with an abundance of such heroes hailing from NY. From the “Rocky” franchise to “Raging Bull,” popular culture has also played its part in incubating the relationship between American citizens of...

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