Desantis, Pete

 

Pete Desantis – (1980)

 

PETE DeSANTIS
Inducted April 30, 1980

A remarkably gifted athlete, he participated in baseball, track and football, but his greatest accomplishments came in the boxing ring.

While serving in the Army during World War II, he whipped state champion boxers from Colorado and Mississippi, with his biggest victory coming against Al Backrow, the previously undefeated heavyweight champ of New York. The rugged Lorain pugilist went on to capture the heavyweight championships of Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, and the Northwest Pacific Army/Navy area.

In the Army-Navy Olympics he threw a football the greatest distance (215 feet), and while stationed in Pensacola (Fla.) he sparkled for the Army All-Star baseball team as a catcher, pitcher and outfielder.

He trained thousands of men while serving in the special services section as a physical education instructor at the Army base in Alaska.

Returning to his hometown in 1945, he acquired the Golden Gloves franchise for the VFW and brought boxing competition back to Lorain after an eight-year absence. He was head trainer in his own gymnasium for nearly 35 years, preparing youngsters for the rigors of the ring, and is widely recognized as Lorain’s “Mr. Golden Gloves”.

As owner of the DeSantis Distributing Co., he has sponsored countless championship teams in local baseball, softball, basketball, bowling and golf leagues.

Mr. DeSantis was critically injured in a truck accident in 1968, but his indomitable fighting spirit and enormous courage pulled him through, and today he continues his seemingly limitless involvement in local sports activities.