Ed Vargo
| Ed Vargo | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 17, 1928 Butler, Pennsylvania |
| Died | February 2, 2008 (aged 79) Butler, Pennsylvania |
Edward Paul Vargo (September 17, 1928 – February 2, 2008) was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League from 1960 to 1983. He officiated in the World Series, National League Championship Series and All-Star Game four times each, and also worked a number of other historic games. His 3,554 total games ranked ninth in NL history when he retired. During most of his career, Vargo wore uniform number 20.
Vargo, of Hungarian and Ukrainian descent, was born the youngest son of Alex and Mary Vargo in the Pittsburgh suburb of Butler, Pennsylvania, where he continued to live throughout his life. In his youth he worked as a batboy and equipment manager with the Butler Yankees of the Class-D Pennsylvania State Association. After briefly playing as a catcher in the St. Louis Cardinals system, he served five years in the Army, where he began umpiring, and began his professional career in the Georgia–Florida League (1953–54, 1956), Piedmont League (1955), Eastern League (1957) and International League (1957–59). In his second year in the NL, he was rated the neatest umpire in the league in a Sporting News poll of writers, managers and coaches. He married Elizabeth Joan (Betty) Hunter on February 9, 1963; they had four children, sons Edward and David and daughters Karen and Kristin.
Vargo officiated in the World Series in 1965, 1971, 1978 and 1983, serving as crew chief in 1978. He worked the NLCS in 1969 (the first-ever NLCS), 1973, 1976 and 1980, and the All-Star Game in 1961 (first game), 1966, 1974 and 1981. He was the home plate umpire for Game 4 of the 1971 World Series, the Fall Classic's first night game.
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