"Big Nick" Bottini was a football and basketball standout on some of RFA's best teams of the early 1950's and was honored as the school's most outstanding all-around athlete in his senior year.
He went on to become a star football player at the University at Buffalo and was captain of the 1958 Buffalo squad that won the Lambert Trophy, presented to the team voted the best small college team in the East. The team was invited to play in the Tangerine Bowl that year, but players voted not to play in the game because of the bowl committee's racial restrictions. He was voted Buffalo's most valuable lineman for the 1957 season and also saw playing time as a receiver and punter.
After his playing days, he returned to Rome and was a highly regarded coach in the Fran Allison Basketball and Pop Warner Football programs.
He died in 1992.
bio contributed by Find A Grave member Ronald E. Schuler
He went on to become a star football player at the University at Buffalo and was captain of the 1958 Buffalo squad that won the Lambert Trophy, presented to the team voted the best small college team in the East. The team was invited to play in the Tangerine Bowl that year, but players voted not to play in the game because of the bowl committee's racial restrictions. He was voted Buffalo's most valuable lineman for the 1957 season and also saw playing time as a receiver and punter.
After his playing days, he returned to Rome and was a highly regarded coach in the Fran Allison Basketball and Pop Warner Football programs.
He died in 1992.
bio contributed by Find A Grave member Ronald E. Schuler
"Big Nick" Bottini was a football and basketball standout on some of RFA's best teams of the early 1950's and was honored as the school's most outstanding all-around athlete in his senior year.
He went on to become a star football player at the University at Buffalo and was captain of the 1958 Buffalo squad that won the Lambert Trophy, presented to the team voted the best small college team in the East. The team was invited to play in the Tangerine Bowl that year, but players voted not to play in the game because of the bowl committee's racial restrictions. He was voted Buffalo's most valuable lineman for the 1957 season and also saw playing time as a receiver and punter.
After his playing days, he returned to Rome and was a highly regarded coach in the Fran Allison Basketball and Pop Warner Football programs.
He died in 1992.
bio contributed by Find A Grave member Ronald E. Schuler
He went on to become a star football player at the University at Buffalo and was captain of the 1958 Buffalo squad that won the Lambert Trophy, presented to the team voted the best small college team in the East. The team was invited to play in the Tangerine Bowl that year, but players voted not to play in the game because of the bowl committee's racial restrictions. He was voted Buffalo's most valuable lineman for the 1957 season and also saw playing time as a receiver and punter.
After his playing days, he returned to Rome and was a highly regarded coach in the Fran Allison Basketball and Pop Warner Football programs.
He died in 1992.
bio contributed by Find A Grave member Ronald E. Schuler
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