The 1930s and 40s were a tumultuous time for the United States. As the country struggled through the Great Depression and World War II, the sports world saw its share of bizarre stories. One in particular stands out: Joe Savoldi, perhaps the most interesting athlete of the era. The Italian native was not only a star college football running back, but he would go on to have a strange career at the pro level, followed by a successful run as a pro wrestler.
While football players-turned-pro wrestlers are not uncommon, Savoldi had more in store as the U.S. entered the war. Once that happened, he returned to Italy... as a secret agent.
Notre Dame: The Rise and Fall of Jumping Joe
Born in Milan, Savoldi and his family moved to the United States when he was 13. In high school, he was introduced to football. While he proved to be a very physical fullback, he was still very inexperienced in the sport. During his sophomore year at Notre Dame, he was relegated to the reserve team to help him study Knute Rockne's offense.^[1]
In 1929, he finally cracked the main roster and established himself as one of the Fighting Irish's top players. Nicknamed Jumping Joe, the fullback was part of a dominant backfield that led the team to undefeated records in 1929 and 1930; during the latter season, Savoldi scored on a 97-yard touchdown run against SMU and recorded a hat trick against Navy.^[1]
Despite his success, however, his time at Notre Dame was cut short with just three games left in the 1930 season.^[2] A South Bend judge revealed he had overseen a marriage between Savoldi and Audrey Koehler in 1929; the marriage had been kept secret, but word got out when Savoldi fired for divorce. As such marriages broke school rules, he was forced to leave the team.^[3]
NFL: The Packers and the Bears
With Savoldi no longer on the Notre Dame roster, the Packers were quick to sign him, but were reminded of an NFL rule that prohibited teams from adding college players whose graduating class had not yet – well – graduated; Savoldi's class was set to graduate in June 1931. As a result, the Packers withdrew their offer.^[4]
Of all teams that could pounce on the opportunity to sign Savoldi anyway, it had to be the Bears. Rivalries are fun, aren't they? The Packers understandably protested, while Bears owners George Halas and Dutch Sternaman argued their team
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Edit: Follow-up question: did the Axis refer to the Allies as the Allies referred to themselves, or did they prefer a different name for the alliance opposing them?
