Tony Rio
Encyclopedia
Tony Rio was an American football
player. He played at the fullback
position for the University of Michigan
from 1957 to 1959. He was chosen as the Most Valuable Player on the 1959 Michigan Wolverines football team
.
A native of Lombard, Illinois
, he attended Chicago
's St. Philip High School where he played fullback for the St. Philip Gaels football team.
Rio received a football scholarship to attend the University of Michigan and played fullback for the Michigan Wolverines football
teams from 1957 to 1959. As a sophomore in 1957, Rio appeared as a back-up fullback in games against Indiana
and Ohio State
, gaining 33 yards in 6 carries.
As a junior in 1958, Rio played in the Wolverines' first five games, including two games as the starting fullback. He scored his first collegiate touchdown on October 11, 1958, against the Navy Midshipmen
.
Two weeks after scoring his first Michigan touchdown, Rio was arrested by campus police on charges of engaging in an illegal occupation. Six other students were also arrested, including Rio's roommate, Jack Lewis, who was the captain of Michigan's basketball team
, and Carl
Riseman, associate sports editor of the campus newspaper. Rio was accused of being part of a "$10,000-a-week football gambling ring" involved in selling "football spot cards," in which the purchaser bet on a series of football games and won prizes if he did better than the spread on a certain number of games. Michigan's athletic director Fritz Crisler
immediately suspended both Rio and Lewis from their respective teams until the criminal charges were resolved.
The story drew national media attention, including a photo-story in Life
, noting that the informant, an editor at The Michigan Daily, had been hung in effigy. After initially pleading not guilty, Rio and Lewis pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge in November 1958 and were placed on probation by the university for the remainder of the academic year. The university announced at the time that Rio and Lewis could appear before the university's dean of men and the joint judiciary council to seek to restore their athletic eligibility, but a “high university source” said it was doubtful the two would receive "a clean bill of health."Newspapers reported that there was "only a remote possibility" that their eligibility would be restored.
In August 1959, the university restored Rio's athletic eligibility, allowing him to play football in his senior year. Bump Elliott
, in his first year as Michigan's head football coach, announced that Rio had been invited to join 75 others when practice opened and added, "As far as I'm concerned the whole thing is past."
Rio responded to his reinstatement with the best year of his football career, starting all nine games at fullback for the 1959 Michigan Wolverines football team
. He gained 58 yards on 12 carries in an 18-7 win over Oregon State
and had a career-long 50-yard run in a 14-7 win over Minnesota
. In his final game for Michigan, Rio scored two touchdown
s in a 23-14 win over Ohio State
. His first touchdown came 70 seconds into the game on a pass into the end zone
from quarterback
Stan Noskin. The second came on a one-yard run in the third quarter. At the conclusion of the 1959 season, Rio was named the Most Valuable Player on the 1959 Michigan team.
Rio tried out with the New York Titans of the newly formed American Football League
in the summer of 1960, but he was cut by the Titans on July 19, 1960.
In June 1987, Rio died at age 49.
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...
player. He played at the fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
position for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
from 1957 to 1959. He was chosen as the Most Valuable Player on the 1959 Michigan Wolverines football team
1959 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1959 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1959 college football season. The team's head coach was Bump Elliott...
.
A native of Lombard, Illinois
Lombard, Illinois
Lombard, "The Lilac Village", is a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County, Illinois. The population was 42,322 at the 2000 census. The United States Census Bureau estimated the population in 2004 to be 42,975.-History:...
, he attended Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's St. Philip High School where he played fullback for the St. Philip Gaels football team.
Rio received a football scholarship to attend the University of Michigan and played fullback for the Michigan Wolverines football
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
teams from 1957 to 1959. As a sophomore in 1957, Rio appeared as a back-up fullback in games against Indiana
Indiana Hoosiers football
The Indiana Hoosiers football program represents Indiana University Bloomington in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and in the Big Ten Conference.-Bowl games:...
and Ohio State
1957 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 1957 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was led by captains Galen Cisco and Leo Brown. They were the third national title team in Ohio State football history. They were coached by Hall of Fame coach Woody Hayes...
, gaining 33 yards in 6 carries.
As a junior in 1958, Rio played in the Wolverines' first five games, including two games as the starting fullback. He scored his first collegiate touchdown on October 11, 1958, against the Navy Midshipmen
Navy Midshipmen football
The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...
.
Two weeks after scoring his first Michigan touchdown, Rio was arrested by campus police on charges of engaging in an illegal occupation. Six other students were also arrested, including Rio's roommate, Jack Lewis, who was the captain of Michigan's basketball team
Michigan Wolverines men's basketball
The Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Michigan. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association . The Wolverines play home basketball games at the...
, and Carl
Riseman, associate sports editor of the campus newspaper. Rio was accused of being part of a "$10,000-a-week football gambling ring" involved in selling "football spot cards," in which the purchaser bet on a series of football games and won prizes if he did better than the spread on a certain number of games. Michigan's athletic director Fritz Crisler
Fritz Crisler
Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler was an American football coach who is best known as "the father of two-platoon football," an innovation in which separate units of players were used for offense and defense. Crisler developed two-platoon football while serving as head coach at the University of...
immediately suspended both Rio and Lewis from their respective teams until the criminal charges were resolved.
The story drew national media attention, including a photo-story in Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
, noting that the informant, an editor at The Michigan Daily, had been hung in effigy. After initially pleading not guilty, Rio and Lewis pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge in November 1958 and were placed on probation by the university for the remainder of the academic year. The university announced at the time that Rio and Lewis could appear before the university's dean of men and the joint judiciary council to seek to restore their athletic eligibility, but a “high university source” said it was doubtful the two would receive "a clean bill of health."Newspapers reported that there was "only a remote possibility" that their eligibility would be restored.
In August 1959, the university restored Rio's athletic eligibility, allowing him to play football in his senior year. Bump Elliott
Bump Elliott
Chalmers W. "Bump" Elliott is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played halfback at Purdue University and the University of Michigan...
, in his first year as Michigan's head football coach, announced that Rio had been invited to join 75 others when practice opened and added, "As far as I'm concerned the whole thing is past."
Rio responded to his reinstatement with the best year of his football career, starting all nine games at fullback for the 1959 Michigan Wolverines football team
1959 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1959 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1959 college football season. The team's head coach was Bump Elliott...
. He gained 58 yards on 12 carries in an 18-7 win over Oregon State
Oregon State Beavers football
The Oregon State Beavers football team represents Oregon State University in NCAA Division I-A college football. The team first fielded an organized football team in 1893 and is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. The head coach is Mike Riley, with Danny Langsdorf as the offensive...
and had a career-long 50-yard run in a 14-7 win over Minnesota
Minnesota Golden Gophers football
The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have claimed six national championships and have an all time record of 646–481–44 as...
. In his final game for Michigan, Rio scored two touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s in a 23-14 win over Ohio State
1959 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 1959 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 1959-1960. The Buckeyes compiled a 3–5–1 record.-Schedule:-1960 Pro draftees:-References:Win/Loss statistics*...
. His first touchdown came 70 seconds into the game on a pass into the end zone
End zone
In gridiron-based codes of football, the end zone refers to the scoring area on the field. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field...
from quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Stan Noskin. The second came on a one-yard run in the third quarter. At the conclusion of the 1959 season, Rio was named the Most Valuable Player on the 1959 Michigan team.
Rio tried out with the New York Titans of the newly formed American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
in the summer of 1960, but he was cut by the Titans on July 19, 1960.
In June 1987, Rio died at age 49.