Trophy

Object number2008.142.3

Date1941

MediumBrass; plastic; paint

Credit LineGift of Diane Rafle

DescriptionBrass trophy cup. Tall, cylindrical body. Stacked rectangles on sides in place of handles. Seal on front top with embossed event information and images of eagle, boat with blue background, and trees(?) with green background also on seal. Engraved on body of trophy is award information. Set on black plastic base.Dimensions9.5 x 3.25 x 3.125 in. (24.1 x 8.3 x 7.9 cm)
InscriptionsSeal on front top: embossed, "NINTH ANNUAL / ALLEGHENY COUNTY / FREE FAIR"; down left side of seal, "SOUTH PARK"; up right side of seal, "AUG. 28-SEPT.1"; on bottom of seal, "1941".

Engraved on body of trophy: "SOCCER / FOOTBALL / WINNER".
MarksEmbossed on underside "DODGE INC. © No. 1".
Historical NotesTrophy from Allegheny County Park Soccer Football organization, to which Nicholas DiOrio belonged. Nicholas DiOrio grew up in Morgan, Pennsylvania, a coal mining town near Bridgeville in southern Allegheny County. He played basketball at South Fayette High School, from where he graduated in 1939, and supposedly scored 50 points in a game. After high school he worked as a laborer at factories in Bridgeville. Later he worked for the county road maintenance department. But for 22 years, he devoted his spare time to soccer. He played for the 1939 Avella Juniors that won the national junior championship, and with a series of clubs, like Morgan Strasser, Harmarville Soccer Club, and Beadling. In the late 1940s, he played for the Pittsburgh Indians and Chicago Vikings in the short-lived North American Professional Soccer League. As member of the U.S. soccer team, he competed in the 1950 World Cup in Brazil when he was 29 years old. The U.S. team was matched against England in an early round and won in one of the biggest upsets in international soccer. He retired as a player in 1959 but continued as a player-manager, a manager, and president of the West Penn Soccer Association. Mr. DiOrio was named to the National Soccer Hall of Fame, Oneonta, New York, in 1974, and to state and regional halls of fame. He died in 2003 at the age of 82.

Previous owner Nicholas DiOrio (died 2003)

Related institution Pittsburgh Indians

Related institution South Fayette High School

Related institution Avella Juniors

Related institution Morgan F.C.

Related institution Harmarville Hurricanes Soccer Club

Related institution Beadling Soccer Club

Related institution Chicago Vikings

Related institution North American Professional Soccer League

Related institution National Soccer Hall of Fame

Related institution West Penn Soccer Association

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