West Virginia University Athletics

A powerful running back who enjoyed a long, successful career in the NFL, Joe Marconi ranks high on the list of great Mountaineer football players.
 
Born Feb. 6, 1934, Marconi grew up in Frederickstown, Pennsylvania, where he was a highly touted prep standout. Accepting an athletic scholarship at Maryland, he enrolled but didn't like the school and instead wound up at WVU.
 
Initially used mostly on defense, Marconi proved to be an effective runner and was installed in coach Art Lewis' "T" formation. Piling up 998 career yards on 181 carries for an impressive 5.5 average, Marconi also found the end zone 18 times during his career.
 
Rushing for 104 yards on 19 carries against Pitt in 1953, Marconi's best performance as a Mountaineer came against North Carolina State. Carrying the football just 11 times, Marconi rambled for 118 yards in a 27-7 Mountaineer win in his last college football game.
 
A member of the 1954 Sugar Bowl team, the All-Southern Conference back helped WVU to a 31-7 record during his four years, including a 30-game winning streak in the Southern Conference. Marconi was selected to play in the College Football All-Star Game and the Blue-Gray Game after his senior year, and his stellar performances in both games helped him become the Los Angeles Rams' No. 1 draft choice in 1956.
 
Marconi rushed the football 75 times for 298 yards and seven touchdowns during his rookie season. Toting the football 104 times in 1957, Marconi gained a career-best 481 yards while scoring three touchdowns. Totaling 1,769 yards and 21 touchdowns as a Ram, Marconi was traded to the Chicago Bears before the 1962 season.
 
Playing five additional years with the Bears, Marconi's best year as a professional came in 1963 when he rushed for 446 yards and two touchdowns while helping Chicago to the NFL title. For his efforts in 1963, he was selected to play in the 1964 Pro Bowl, the crowning achievement in his 11-year professional football career.
 
He played two more years in 1965 and 1966, but injuries and age kept him out of a lot of the action. He rushed for 2,771 career yards and caught 136 passes for 1,326 yards while accounting for 39 total touchdowns during his pro career.
 
Retiring from football in 1966, Marconi became a sales representative in the steel business from his home in Downer's Grove, Illinois. A close friend of Bear great Mike Ditka, Marconi joined Ditka in many Chicago area charities.
 
Never losing his ties with the University, Marconi was one of the founders of the WVU Letterman's Club and was a keen contributor to Mountaineer athletics. He died on Aug. 23, 1992.
 
He was named an inaugural member of WVU’s Mountaineer Legends Society in 2016.