Legacy of the Gladiators: Italian Americans in Sports

Nick Manzello. Ambassador Books, $24.95 (304pp) ISBN 978-1-929039-12-8

In Legacy of the Gladiators: Italian Americans in Sports, Nick Manzello, a sportswriter and TV and radio host from Worcester, Mass., praises Italian-American sporting greats. He offers bios in such categories as football (Vince Lombardi, Vinny Testaverde, Joe Montana) baseball (Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto, Roy Campanella), boxing (Rocky Marciani, Jake LaMotta, Rocky Graziano), as well as gymnastics (Mary Lou Retton) and golf (Donna Caponi). Each entry receives several pages of history, and is accompanied by b&w photos.

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