Bishop Gibbons, Maryland football star Paul Vellano Sr. dies at 72

That was the football jersey number he wore as an All-State star lineman at Bishop Gibbons High School, as an All-American defensive tackle at the University of Maryland and as a pro, briefly with the Chicago Bears and for several years in the World Football League.

Like a treasured family heirloom, he passed the number down to his sons, Paul Jr., who played pro ball in Italy, and Joe, who has brought his dad to autograph signings after Joe won the Super Bowl as a defensive tackle with the New England Patriots in 2015.

The 72 represents a rich legacy of football established by Paul Sr.

My brother and his two kids were like best friends, even though it was a father-son thing, Paul Sr.s brother Tony said.

It was football, and where Paulie went, they went, and where they went, Paulie went.

That included Maryland, where Paul Sr.

was a teammate of Mont Pleasant graduate Richard Rit DiCaprio and future Hall of Famer Randy White.

When Joe Vellano made All-American with the Terrapins in 2011, he and his dad became just the fourth father-son duo to earn that honor while having played for the same school, after Kevin and Drew Butler (Georgia, 1984/2009), Archie and Eli Manning (Mississippi, 1969/2003) and Lee and Travis McGriff (Florida, 1976/1998).

Paul Sr., who co-owned the Vellano Bros.

construction supply company that was established in 1946, graduated from Bishop Gibbons in 1969, a year that produced an unusual number of All-State first-teamers in football from a single region, as documented in an article by Larry Serrell of the Schenectady Gazette.

Besides Vellano, the other Capital Region players selected by the New York State Scholastic Writers Association to the All-State first team were Lintons Ken Grey and Burnt Hills Eric Torkelson and John Devins.

LaSalle Institute head coach and former long-time Union College head coach John Audino played against Vellano in high school, when Audino was at Vincentian Institute.

Back in the day, he was one of the better people that ever came out of the Capital District in football, and crushed it in high school.

And, obviously, at Maryland, Audino said.

Pauls legendary.

Even before Vellano made it to Maryland, where he played for Jerry Claiborne, he was a 6-foot-4, 260-pound defensive tackle, which was big for that era.

Tony Vellano said that despite the fact that his brother was two years younger than he was, me and him were on the opposite spectrum in terms of size.

They used to try to put rolled up pennies and quarters under my shoulder pads to try to make weight, Tony said.

And Paulie, they were making him go to the bathroom before so he could make weight.

He was always a pound or two over, and I was always a pound or two short.

Paul Vellano, in 1968 or 69, he was this giant, Audino said.

I mean, the guy was 6-foot-4, 260, and back in those days, people didnt look like that.

And when he played, he just had this farm strength, if you know what I mean, with his grip and length.

Its crazy.

Besides being named All-American at Maryland, Paul, Sr.

made the All-ACC Team twice.

The year before his teammate Randy White was drafted second overall by the Dallas Cowboys before embarking on a career that included nine Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl MVP award, Vellano was drafted by the George Halas-owned Chicago Bears in the 14th round as the 342nd pick overall.

He didnt last long in Chicago, but put together a solid career in the WFL, with the Florida Blazers and the San Antonio Wings Thats when the World Football League started.

That was the same year [Larry] Csonka, [Paul] Warfield, [Jim] Kiick, all those guys jumped [from the NFL], Tony Vellano said.

Paulie was the defensive captain.

He broke his arm tackling Leroy Kelly.

Vellano was one of three brothers Joe, who died in 2018, was the oldest, followed by Tony who remained deeply involved in sports well after their respective playing days were over.

Joe was a baseball historian who was the president of the Northeast chapter of the Society for American Baseball Researchers.

He was a scout for the Cleveland and partnered with his brother Tony in ownership of two minor-league teams affiliated with the St.

Louis Cardinals.

Tony also served for 20 years as a deputy commissioner of the New York State Athletic Commission that oversees pro boxing, pro wrestling and pro and amateur MMA.

Paul Sr., meanwhile, helped fund the original Capital District Football Hall of Fame.

He also his support in substantial ways behind the CBA football program, where his sons played, and in fact has been inducted to the athletic hall of fame at the school despite not having attended or coached there.

Paul Sr., was inducted to the University of Maryland athletic hall of fame in 2012, and he and his son Joes names are printed on the ring of honor inside the Terrapins stadium.

Audino remembers seeing Paul Sr., walk onto Frank Bailey Field at Union before Audinos annual summer camp and wondering who second-grader Joe was there.

Hes got these two kids hand-in-hand walking down the track, Audino said with a chuckle.

In those days, my camp was for fourth-graders on up.

So Paul goes, John, will you take little Joey here in camp? I said, Paul, look, its for fourth-graders.

He said, Ill sign whatever you want so hell be able to compete with the kids.

I said OK.

The whole week in camp, Joey Vellano is in second grade and hes just picking people up and knocking em all over the place.

But he [Paul Sr.] was just a character like that.

Just a great guy.

Hes etched in Capital District football.

He was always given the number 72, all through Pop Warner, high school, college at Maryland, the pros ...

his two sons wore 72, Tony Vellano said.

And I was thinking today, he died at 72.

The guy had a lot of accomplishments.

Im not going to be able to mention them all..

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