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FRIEND — Baci Carpico held an NFL Football Championship in 1963, given to him by his friend and former Chicago Bears linebacker Joe Fortunato. The football bears the signatures of Fortunato and other players from the Bears, who won the championship in 1963. –Christopher Dacanay

MINGO JUNCTION – It’s been more than half a century since the late Joe Fortunato took his last action on the field as part of the Chicago Bears’ defense.

The linebacker and Mingo Junction native, who was praised during his time in the NFL, never received the recognition in the Pro Football Hall of Fame that his supporters believed he deserved. But that can change very quickly.

On September 10, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the names of nearly 200 players nominated for a spot in the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 in the Senior category.

According to the Hall of Fame, former players must have appeared in a professional football game in the 1999 season or earlier (at least 25 full seasons ago) to be eligible for nomination. In addition, players must have five years of service and at least one recognized postseason award.

The full list of nominees included 182 individuals, including 100 offensive, 77 defensive and five special teams players. Among the 21 other linebackers on the nomination list is Fortunato, who played for the Bears from 1955 to 1966.

HOMETOWN HERO – A sign on Logan Avenue identifies Mingo Junction as the home of former Chicago Bears linebacker Joe Fortunato. –Christopher Dacanay

Founded in 1963, the Pro Football Hall of Fame is a nonprofit educational institution in Canton that has enshrined 378 players to date. The mission of the museum is to “honor the game’s greatest, preserve its history, promote its values ​​and celebrate excellence together.”

The HoF’s newly established Senior Screening Committee was established to provide input during the overall selection process. On October 3, the committee advanced 60 players to the next voting phase, including Fortunato.

Next, the separate Seniors Blue-Ribbon Committee will make additional, incremental reductions until it announces three seniors in late fall as finalists for possible election to the Class of 2025. The Class of 2025 of the Pro Football Hall of Fame will be enshrined in August.

During his time with the Bears, Fortunato won an NFL championship with the team in 1963. He was a five-time selection to the National Football League Pro Bowl (1958, 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1965) and he was a three-time winner. time first team All-Pro selection (1963, 1964 and 1965).

Fortunato finished his career with 16 interceptions and 22 fumbles, which at the time gave him the NFL record for most fumbles by a linebacker.

Prior to the NFL, Fortunato stood out at Mississippi State University. Fortunato was a Bulldog from 1949 to 1952, earning All-Southeastern Conference, All-South and All-American defense in 1951. His success would make him a seventh-round pick – 80th overall – in the 1952 NFL Draft, although his career would be put on hold because he had spent two years in the Army and served as a first lieutenant during the Korean War.

Fortunato was selected as one of four linebackers on the NFL’s All-Decade Teams for the 1950s. He is now one of only four players – and the only defensive player – named to the team who is not a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Fortunato is also listed on the teams, rankings and rolls of honor of several other associations, including the National Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame, Upper Ohio Valley Hall of Fame. Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and the Chicago Tribune’s “100 Best Chicago Bears Ever.”

Prior to all the awards, Joseph Francis Fortunato Jr. born March 28, 1930 and grew up in Mingo Junction. At the former Mingo High School, Fortunato studied football, basketball and track and field, becoming an All-Eastern Ohio team member as well as MVP of the Ohio-West Virginia All-Star game before graduating in 1948.

After passing away on November 6, 2017 at the age of 87, Fortunato will not be there to accept his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame should it happen. However, there are many who carry on his memory and would love to see the local legend get his due.

Baci Carpico graduated from Mingo High School near Fortunato in 1948. The two were “good friends,” Fortunato agreed to be the best man for Carpico’s wedding in 1955.

Carpico recalled traveling to Cleveland to watch Fortunato and the Bears play the Browns. Before that, Carpico traveled to Tennessee to watch his friend, then a senior, play for Mississippi State.

“The coach at the University of Tennessee was Robert Neyland,” Carpico said. “He walked across the field and praised Joe after the game, calling him one of the best players his team had ever met. … (He) went straight to Joe and told him he was glad his team didn’t have to face him anymore. What a nice compliment from a great coach.”

Carpico donated a signed 1963 Football Championship by Fortunato and stayed in touch with his friend, who often asked him if he needed anything.

“He was just a great individual, a very good person.” Carpico said.

In his hometown, Fortunato received a number of awards. The Indian Creek Middle School campus is home to the Joe Fortunato Student Activity Field. Scholarships named after Fortunato were established at Indian Creek and Mississippi State. Fortunato himself was honored on November 4, 2007 in Mingo with a key to the city and a sign on Logan Avenue.

Excited to hear about Fortunato’s HoF nomination was his wife, Catherine Fortunato, who said her husband was a “excellent athlete” who studied the game and made many contributions to the record books. Not only that, she said, Joe Fortunato was one “very good person” and dedicated community benefactor.

After graduating from Mingo High School, Fortunato was recruited to the Virginia Military Institute by then-coach, Catherine Fortunato recalled. Joe Fortunato didn’t like VMI and left, but when the coach transferred to Mississippi State, he followed him there.

Even before his professional football career, Fortunato enjoyed the game. While in the Army, he was the head coach of the Army Football team and led them to a championship victory in 1954.

Fortunato had one “very good career” with the Bears, with coach George Halas in high regard, his wife said. Fortunato would later serve as the Bears’ linebacker coach and defensive coordinator.

After retiring, Fortunato settled in Natchez, Miss., where he raised a family and entered the oil business. After the death of his first wife, Mary Joy “Noonie” Fortunato, he would marry Catherine in 2002. Joe Fortunato had three adult children and was kind to her own two adult children, said Catherine Fortunato, who has lived in Dallas since 2019.

The couple enjoyed their time together, often dining out, fishing and attending football games. Although gruff and intimidating, Joe Fortunato was actually a “big teddy bear,” said his wife.

Joe Fortunato owned Big Joe Oil Co., Big Joe Operating and Big Joe Real Estate. He was involved with a number of committees and charities and helped found the Joe Fortunato Celebrity Golf Tournament. The tournament, which featured several of his fellow retired football players, raised $10,000 a year for seven area schools to offer scholarships.

“I think he should be (in the Pro Football Hall of Fame) because he was a very outstanding athlete for the Chicago Bears, with all his stats,” Catherine Fortunato said and added: “Joe was a very good man and had so many accolades.”