Lou Abbruzzi

Louis John "Duke" Abbruzzi (August 3, 1917 – December 6, 1982) was an American football, basketball and baseball player.^[1][2]

Lou Abbruzzi

Date of birth	(1917-08-03)August 3, 1917
Place of birth	Warren, Rhode Island
Date of death	December 6, 1982(1982-12-06) (aged 65)
Career information
Position(s)	Halfback, defensive back
US college	Rhode Island
Career history
As player
1946	Boston Yanks
Career highlights and awards
Awards	All Small New England 1938-40, All New England 1938, HM Little All-American 1938, 1939.

Early career

Born in Warren, Rhode Island,^[1] Abbruzzi attended Warren High School where he received 'All State' recognition on six occasions in all three sports: football, basketball and baseball.^[3]

Sports cartoonist Frank Lanning dubbed him the 'Duke of Warren' in his illustrations published in the Providence Journal. ^[3]

Professional career

Returning from his service in the US Army, Abbruzzi spent one season with the Boston Yanks of the National Football League (NFL) as a special teams player and tailback.^[3] He accounted for 229 all-purpose yards, 26 rushing yards from 6 carries, 55 receiving yards on 2 receptions, 147 yards on 8 kick off returns and completed one pass for 11 yards.

Coaching

In addition to participating in the sports, Abbruzzi also coached later in this career. He coached DeLaSalle Academy, Rogers High and Thompson Junior High, Newport. ^[1] In 1971 the team he coached at Rogers High won the state baseball championship.^[1]