John Ferraro
| John Ferraro | |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 24, 1924 Cudahy, California |
| Died | April 17, 2001 (aged 76) Santa Monica, California |
| Known for | longest-serving Los Angeles City Council member |
| College football career | |
| USC Trojans | |
| Position | Tackle |
| Career history | |
| College | USC (1944) |
| High school | Bell |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
John Ferraro (May 24, 1924 – April 17, 2001) was the longest-serving Los Angeles City Council member in the history of the city—thirty-five years, from 1966 until his death in 2001—and the president of the council for fourteen of them. He had been an all-American football player at the University of Southern California.
Ferraro was born May 24, 1924, in the working class suburb of Cudahy, California, just south of Los Angeles, "the youngest son of a family of eight children whose Italian immigrant parents ran a macaroni factory before going broke during the Depression." He attended Bell High School in Bell, California, where he graduated in 1942, and he earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration from the University of Southern California after World War II.
Ferraro enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was commissioned as an ensign in 1945. He served on a tanker with Warren Christopher, later the Secretary of State under Bill Clinton. "Christopher got Ferraro interested in politics during long, early morning discussions when they were stationed in the Bay Area."
His excellence on the football field at Bell High—he was a unanimous choice for the All-City team—led to his receiving a scholarship at USC, where he earned All-American honors in 1944 and 1947 and played as a tackle in three Rose Bowls. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1974. As an adult he stood 6 feet, 4¼ inches tall and weighed 245 pounds, earning him the nickname "Big John."
...
Wikipedia