Former Colts Hall of Fame lineman Gino Marchetti dead at 93

BALTIMORE (AP) — Gino Marchetti, a Hall of Fame defensive end who helped the Baltimore Colts win consecutive NFL championships in the late 1950s, has died.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame said Marchetti was 93.

Marchetti was named to the Pro Bowl during 11 of his 14 NFL seasons. Though undersized for the position by today’s standards — 6-foot-4, 244-pounds — Marchetti effectively tracked down quarterbacks and stuffed the run.

Gino John Marchetti was born in 1927 in Smithers, West Virginia. He broke into the NFL as an offensive lineman in 1952 with the Dallas Texans, who became the Colts in 1953.

After being moved to the other side of the line, Marchetti became a star.

With Marchetti charging from the left side, the Colts were NFL champions in 1958 and 1959. He broke his leg in the fourth quarter of the so-called “Greatest Game Ever Played” — the sudden-death duel between the Colts and New York Giants in 1958 — but refused to be taken to the locker room. He watched from the sideline until Baltimore secured the victory.