No. 62, 64 | |||||||
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Position: | Guard/ Center | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Boston, Massachusetts | April 8, 1957||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: |
Archbishop Williams ( Braintree, Massachusetts) | ||||||
College: | Harvard | ||||||
Undrafted: | 1981 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Joseph Anthony Pellegrini (born April 8, 1957) is a former professional American football player who played offensive lineman for five seasons for the New York Jets and the Atlanta Falcons.
Pellegrini hails from Hingham, Massachusetts. [1] He attended Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree, Massachusetts, participating in football and track and field throwing events, though he admits he was not a great athlete. [2] Pellegrini graduated as valedictorian and enrolled at Harvard University. [2]
At Harvard, Pellegrini played for the Crimson football team while also doing track and field. [3] He skipped his senior season in an attempt to qualify for the 1980 Summer Olympics as a discus thrower, training in West Germany, although he was ultimately unable to compete due to the boycott. [1] Pellegrini tried returning to the football team in 1981, but was not invited to training camp by head coach Joe Restic. [3] He instead earned his degree in geology. [1]
In 1981, Pellegrini signed a free agent deal with the New York Jets after a tryout, though he was placed on injured reserve that season due to a back injury. [1] [2] He earned a first-year salary of $25,000. [4]
Pellegrini's younger brother, Dave, became an NCAA champion in the weight throw at Princeton. [5] The two often competed against each other in Ivy League throwing events. [6]