A longtime Pittsburgh Steelers equipment manager has died.
The Steelers announced Sunday that Tony Parisi, 91, died on Thursday.
Parisi was the team’s equipment manager from 1965-96. Steelers President Art Rooney II remembers Parisi’s efforts to ensure players had what they needed to perform at their best.
“Tony was an equipment manager who, if a company didn’t make a piece of equipment that was needed, he made it himself,” Rooney said. “If a player had a sore joint or needed a pad in a spot on his body where they didn’t make pads for it, he’d figure out how to make a pad for it himself. And he always was one to figure out which were the right shoes to wear in different conditions, and he had the ability to convince players to change their shoes at halftime. He got to be one of those guys the players just trusted to put them in the best situation to perform.”
The team says a key example of Parisi’s skills as an equipment manager came in one of the most important games in Steelers franchise history, Superbowl IX. Anticipating slick field conditions, he ordered rubber-cleated shoes. After struggling with footing in the first half, Parisi convinced some players to change into the rubber-cleated shoes at halftime — including Franco Harris, who scored after the change. The Steelers won 16-6 and Harris was named Super Bowl MVP.
Rooney says Parisi was well-loved by players on the legendary 1970s teams and worked with 10 future Hall of Famers.
“People would be amazed how much he meant to those guys in the 1970s, getting them ready to play every week by making a pad, by making shoes work,” Rooney said. “All the little stuff makes a difference.”
Parisi was among 20 people to receive the inaugural Pro Football Hall of Fame “Awards of Excellence” class in 2022.
“On behalf of the whole Steelers organization, I extend my deepest sympathies to Tony’s wife Joan and his family,” Rooney said.
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