Baptiste John "Bap" Manzini (August 27, 1920 – May 9, 2008) was a professional American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 offensive lineman and high school football

High school football

High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....

 coach

Coach (sport)

In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...

.

Manzini was born August 27, 1920 in Treveskyn, Pennsylvania

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh...

. He attended St. Vincent College, where he was an all-state center. Upon graduation, he joined the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

.

He played in three seasons in the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

, 1944 and 1945 for the Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 and 1948, one game for the Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...

 and three games again for the Eagles.

When his playing career ended, he coached high school football in Pennsylvania for 30 years at the former Bellmar High School

Belle Vernon Area School District

-Geography:Located southeast of Pittsburgh in rural Westmoreland and Fayette County, the Belle Vernon Area School District has a population as of 2000 of 20,127 residing in five political subdivisions: Washington Township, Fayette City, North Belle Vernon, Belle Vernon, and Rostraver Township. The...

 and at Thomas Jefferson High School. Overall, his record was 203-74-8.

External links

• Obituary in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
  
  , May 12, 2008.