Righetti shows he has the write stuff
Joe Righetti has been known as many things in his 77 years.
He has been called one of the best all-around athletes ever produced by Beth-Center High School and Waynesburg College. He was known as a national champion, All-American and record holder in college. He was a professional football player, a teacher, coach and husband.
These days, Righetti has another title: author.
He laughs at the thought of being considered a writer.
“I don’t consider myself an author,” Righetti said. “I am a storyteller.”
And that’s what you will find in Righetti’s first book, “Fourteen Mile Orange,” which was published in October.
The book is a collection of stories that begin around 1900 with Righetti’s grandfather, an Italian immigrant. It also includes stories about his father, a World War II veteran. And there are stories about Righetti growing up in Fredericktown and his football-playing days at Waynesburg and in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns. Righetti was a standout defensive tackle on Waynesburg’s NAIA championship team in 1966 and played in both the last NFL championship game before the merger with the AFL in and the first “Monday Night Football” game, which was in 1970.
Righetti is quick to point out that this is not a book only about football. It’s about family and sacrifice,” he says. “They do things because they love you.”
Those sacrifices made by his family, especially his father and grandfather, is what ultimately led to Righetti having the opportunity to go to college and play professional football.
The book’s title comes from one of Righetti’s stories about his grandfather, and you’ll have to read the book to find out what that story is. I can tell you it’s something special.
Righetti never saw himself writing a book, or even having a desire to give it a try. The book came from an idea and some prodding from his niece – the daughter of his former Waynesburg football teammate Don Herrmann, who also played in the NFL.
“My wife had been very sick and one night we’re at the hospital and Don and I were talking, telling old stories, and my niece, Carrie, Don’s daughter, said that I should write a book because I have all these stories,” Righetti recalled. “I didn’t think much about it. But my wife was on peritoneal dialysis and hooked up to a machine every night. She would go to sleep early but I’m a night owl. I wouldn’t go to sleep until 2 a.m. So after three or four months of watching nothing but Seinfeld reruns, I decided to write a portion of the book. Once I started, it brought back all of these memories.”
Those memories turned into a completed book. It begins with Righetti’s grandfather immigrating from Capovalle, Italy, to the United States, settling in Harlan, Ky.
“He was basically recruited by what you would call a headhunter, to work in the coal mines for six years,” Righetti explained. “After working in the U.S. for three years, he was able to send for my grandmother to come to the States. They eventually moved to Fredricktown.
“The book … it’s a reminder of how hard life was then. There were 10 children in the family, my father among the 10. There were no refrigerators and you had 12 mouths to feed.
“When I grew up, we lived on a farm and my father, he was smart, but he was also very frugal. He was always afraid of the coal mines going on strike. At the time, you’re a kid, you don’t understand why your father is that way. You just want things.”
After being a stellar multi-sport athlete at Beth-Center, where he played football under head coach Ted Nypaver, Righetti wanted to play for West Virginia, but the Mountaineers’ coaching staff wanted him to attend a junior college for two years before going to Morgantown. Righetti’s father rejected that idea.
Waynesburg had interest in Righetti as a wrestler, but so too did Yellow Jackets football coach Mo Scarry, who would later be an assistant coach on the Miami Dolphins’ undefeated Super Bowl champions in 1972.
“Mo Scarry changed my life,” Righetti says firmly.
At Waynesburg, Righetti was a multi-sport athlete. He was a two-time national wrestling placewinner and held Waynesburg’s record in the shot put.
But football is where Righetti excelled. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 1969 draft, the 150th overall selection.
He later coached high school football for nine years at Whippany Park High School in New Jersey, where he currently resides. Righetti was inducted into the Washington-Greene Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.
Though he left Washington and Greene counties decades ago, Righetti says he’s still a Fredericktown guy.
“My heart has always been in that town,” Righetti said.
Sports editor Chris Dugan can be reached at dugan@observer-reporter.com