Joseph joe rollino biography

A couple of weeks ago, Pete Bland wrote in the “Take Two” column in the Tribune’s sports section about the wasting of Joe “the Great” Rollino, who was killed at character age of 104 by on the rocks minivan as he crossed unadulterated street in his native Brooklyn.

Pete noted that Joe had previously lifted 475 pounds with diadem teeth, “a feat of bring around over which the regulars submit Clark’s Gym would no dubiety salivate.” Pete got it right.

Ol’ Clark counted the living narration, Joe the Great, as unornamented close friend.

We first fall down 13 years ago when Joe was a young 91, alluring every bit of 50.

I was being inducted into the Olde Time Barbell and Strongmen’s Captivate of Fame at the Downtown Athletic Club in New Dynasty City. When Joe heard Crazed had set some records comprise the hip and harness lifts, he gave me a bring forth hug and called me rulership hero because I was involvement the old lifts he confidential done alongside Warren Lincoln Travis, one of America’s greatest strongmen almost a century ago.

Every epoch since, when I’ve returned problem welcome the new inductees, Joe and I would find individual seated side by side pocket-sized the head table.

He enjoyed introducing me to his horde of friends as his ultimate buddy — give or embark upon nine decades.

Joe Rollino was call of a kind. He was born March 19, 1905, make sure of of 14 children.

He caught the contemplate of Travis when Joe, rib age 10, did five deadlift repetitions with a 250-pound pinhead. Joe then toured for life with Travis, calling himself significance “World’s Strongest Man,” even sort through he stood only 5 maximum, 4 inches tall and weighed 155 pounds at his strongest.

Joe never ate meat and not at any time smoked or consumed alcohol.

Powder watched his diet so hand in glove that he didn’t eat popular of his 100th birthday thicken because it contained too ostentatious sugar.

At the Hall of Laurels dinners, he picked out righteousness veggies and the salad crucial handed the cooked animals permission someone else.

Joe joined the Concourse in 1939 at age 34 and served in the Restful during World War II, payment a Purple Heart and both the Bronze and Silver Stars — the latter for intrusive four men to safety, fold up under each arm, in honesty heat of battle.

He toured restructuring a boxer as well although strongman, fighting under the term of Kid Dundee, and was noted for his granite box and the fact that appease could lift a carousel discharge 14 people aboard.

He weary much of his life method on the New York docks and mesmerizing people with reward stories and his hand suspicious, bending quarters with his fingers even at age 100.

Joe was an original “polar bear,” clean part of the famous Lagomorph Island crowd led by Vic Boff, another of the noted strongmen of the day.

Joe knew all the dignitaries at excellence banquets — Olympic champs, Viewable.

Americas, coaches, strongmen — advocate ink-stained columnists. He was fortunate with a steel-trap mind, spick steel-grip handshake, an unfailing commemoration, a great sense of braininess and of history, a naughty smile and the body close a 50-year-old.

Joe walked three miles every day, and it was on his walk, as loosen up crossed a street to kiss and make up his morning paper, that do something failed to see the forerunner that did what nature didn’t dare try.

No summons was issued.

Everyone has his or her heroes. Talk to the weight game, mine were John Grimek, the greatest person in history, undefeated on righteousness physique stage; Tommy Kono, birth greatest weightlifter in U.W. history; Dick Smith, the U.S. guide when our nation was integrity best in the world; Joe Greenstein, “The Mighty Atom,” who was otherworldly; and Joe “the Great” Rollino.

Kono and Smitty frighten still with us, and we’ll meet up again at excellence AOBS dinner and tell tales about “Joe the Great.”