SEPTEMBER 2025

Remembering Brian Piccolo

- His Enduring Legacy - 

By Rev Protodeacon George A. Haloulakos

Every Autumn marks a new season of NFL Football and a chance to reminisce about favorite or special players while being optimistic about your favorite team's prospects for gridiron success.  This month we honor the memory of Brian Piccolo (Oct 31, 1943 - Jun 16, 1970) who was an NFL running back for the Chicago Bears for four years and played collegiate football for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.  Piccolo's life story transcended the gridiron as he was a role model of courage for his heroic battle against cancer and raising public awareness about this dreaded disease.  As a collegian Piccolo led the nation in rushing and scoring in his senior year, finishing 10th in Heisman Trophy balloting.  As an NFL player, he played on special teams and largely in a reserve role at running back.

His biography, Brian Piccolo: A Short Season, was written in 1971 by award winning journalist Jeannie Morris whose husband was Johnny Morris, a Bears record setting receiver and teammate of Piccolo.  This book helped to not only upgrade the sports biography genre in a respectful but insightful manner, but with its female author helped to break glass ceilings in both the publishing and sports journalism fields.  Its title reflects dual tracking themes: (1) Piccolo's short life span and (2) career statistics typically associated with a single season - 5 touchdowns (4 running, 1 receiving), 927 yards rushing and 537 yards receiving.  He exemplified mastery of fundamentals - blocking techniques, disciplined running routes, film study and consistent effort on special teams.  On a personal level, Piccolo showed leadership through character - unwavering optimism, genuine camaraderie and selflessness.  His best statistical year was 1968 in which he rushed for 450 yards on 123 carries (a 3.7 average), two touchdowns and 28 receptions for 291 yards (a 10.4 average).  It was during this season that Piccolo stepped up after injuries depleted the Bears backfield by delivering decisive touchdowns in tight contests while maintaining constant physical and mental readiness to answer any call - even on short notice.  Piccolo's toughness in critical moments and integrity helped keep the Bears competitive while showing them what could be achieved when working together.  The 1968 Bears showed unheralded resilience that reflected Piccolo's intensity and grit.  On a team largely recalled for its Hall of Fame players Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers, it was Piccolo who inspired the Bears' refusal to quit in the face of enormous adversity.   It was this same mindset that Piccolo later brought forth in his battle against cancer.  In sum, Brian Piccolo's story offers insights into the lives and careers of the vast number of men who make up professional football's rank and file.

Brian Piccolo: A Short Season is truly a worthwhile read. Jeannie Morris, at the request of Joy Piccolo (Brian's widow) was able to complete this book originally started by Brian, thereby giving us a poignant, insightful and ultimately inspiring biography.  There are a vast number of passages throughout the book in italicized font which are the words and thoughts expressed by Brian Piccolo himself (all recorded on tape) as he reflected upon his love for his wife Joy and their three daughters Lori, Traci and Kristi.  His non defeatist attitude in battling cancer, love for family, football and his teammates resonates deeply as it illustrates a spiritual man whose record as a human being far exceeds any statistical metric that measures gridiron performance.

To close this tribute to Brian Piccolo as we embark on a new NFL season, here is an excerpt from the foreword of the book we have highlighted.  Teammate and friend, Johnny Morris, wrote the following:

"Brian Piccolo was a friend and former Chicago Bear teammate who lost a seven-month battle to cancer. Pic was one of those 'special' people, a man with solid character and a wholesome sensitivity towards others......Brian had to overcome many obstacles to achieve success.  During his short life he sustained his share of disappointments, but rarely complained.  Pic was a fan's ballplayer, a coach's ballplayer, but above all, a ballplayer's ballplayer.  Brian Piccolo made it to the top at 26." 

Please join us here at Galaxy Nostalgia Network in starting the NFL Season with a salute to the life and legacy of Brian Piccolo.

NOTE: All photographs are from the Public Domain.