{{Short description|American football player (1920–2006)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Infobox gridiron football biography | name = Jim Mello | number = 66, 78, 65, 38, 5 | position = Fullback, linebacker, defensive back | birth_date = {{birth date|1920|11|8}} | birth_place = River Point, Rhode Island, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2006|5|27|1920|11|8}} | death_place = Mesa, Arizona, U.S. | height_ft = 5 | height_in = 10 | weight_lb = 190 | high_school = West Warwick (RI) | college = Notre Dame (1941-1943, 1946) | draftyear = 1945 | draftround = 6 | draftpick = 47 | pastteams = * Boston Yanks ({{NFL Year|1947}}) * Los Angeles Rams ({{NFL Year|1948}}) * Chicago Rockets/Hornets (1948-1949) * Detroit Lions ({{NFL Year|1949}}) * Paterson Panthers (1950) | highlights = * 2× National champion (1943, 1946) * West Warwick High School Athletic Hall of Fame<ref name=":0" /> * College All-Star Team (1947)<ref name=":1" /> | statleague = NFL/AAFC | statlabel1 = Rushing yards | statvalue1 = 308 | statlabel2 = Rushing average | statvalue2 = 3.4 | statlabel3 = Receptions | statvalue3 = 6 | statlabel4 = Receiving yards | statvalue4 = 81 | statlabel5 = Total touchdowns | statvalue5 = 1 | pfr = MellJi20 }}
'''James Anthony Mello''' (November 8, 1920 – May 27, 2006) was an American football player. He won two national championships at the University of Notre Dame and went on to play professionally between 1947 and 1950 as a member of the Boston Yanks, Chicago Rockets, Los Angeles Rams, Detroit Lions, and Paterson Panthers.
==Early life== Jim Mello was born on November 8, 1920, in River Point, Rhode Island, one of thirteen children born to Portuguese immigrants Frank and Anna Mello. He graduated from West Warwick High School in Rhode Island and also attended LaSalle Military Academy.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=James Anthony Mello Obituary (2006) Hartford Courant|url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/hartfordcourant/name/james-mello-obituary?id=25994489|access-date=2021-10-12|website=Legacy.com}}</ref>
As a student at West Warwick High School, Mello was a three-sport athlete, winning three varsity letters in football, three in baseball, and two in basketball. In 1938, he was named to the Rhode Island All-State Baseball Team, and in 1939, he was named All-State for football.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=December 10, 1943|title=1945 Notre Dame Football Review|work=The Notre Dame Scholastic|url=https://archives.nd.edu/Football/Football-1945s.pdf|access-date=October 13, 2021}}</ref>
==College career== left|220x220px|Jim Mello (center) in action against Michigan during the 1943 season|thumb
=== Notre Dame (1941–1943) === Mello attended college at the University of Notre Dame. He did not see any action on the gridiron in 1941 under first-year coach Frank Leahy.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/playerm/mell00400.html|title=Jim Mello Stats - Pro Football Archives|website=www.profootballarchives.com|access-date=2020-12-13|archive-date=2021-05-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510192806/https://www.profootballarchives.com/playerm/mell00400.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The 1942 season saw Mello splitting time at the fullback position with teammates Corwin Clatt and Gerry Cowhig.<ref name=":2" /> Mello finished the season with one touchdown and won his first monogram at Notre Dame.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Petritz|first=Joseph|date=December 21, 1942|title=Recapitulation of 1942 Notre Dame Football Season|work=University of Notre Dame Department of Sports Publicity|url=https://und.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/nd_m_footbl_2011_12_misc_non_event__football-1940-49.pdf|access-date=October 13, 2021}}</ref> The 1943 season was Mello's breakout season at Notre Dame. In the absence of Clatt and Cowhig, who had been drafted into the armed forces, Mello became the starting fullback for the Irish.<ref name=":2" /> By the season's end, he had scored five touchdowns and rushed for 714 yards on 137 carries, training only Creighton Miller in total yards and carries.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Kennedy|first=Walter|date=December 7, 1943|title=Recapitulation of 1943 Notre Dame Football Season|work=University of Notre Dame Department of Sports Publicity|url=https://und.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/nd_m_footbl_2011_12_misc_non_event__football-1940-49.pdf|access-date=October 13, 2021}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/jim-mello-1.html|title=Jim Mello College Stats|website=College Football at Sports-Reference.com}}</ref> At the end of the season, the Associated Press named Notre Dame national champions, the first of two national titles Mello would help the Irish win.<ref>{{Cite web|title=FBS Football Championship History {{!}} NCAA.com|url=https://www.ncaa.com/history/football/fbs|access-date=2021-10-13|website=www.ncaa.com|language=en}}</ref>
=== Service in the United States Navy (1944–1945) === As the Second World War raged, Mello served in the United States Navy from 1944 to 1945.<ref name="auto" /> While in the Navy, Mello spent the 1944 season playing for "the Lakes" of Great Lakes Naval Training Station, the same team that had handed Notre Dame its only loss during its championship run the year before.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|last=Waddington|first=Bill|date=December 7, 1944|title=Notre Dame 28; Great Lakes 7|work=The Notre Dame Scholastic|url=https://archives.nd.edu/Football/Football-1944s.pdf|access-date=October 13, 2021}}</ref> Coached by Paul Brown, the 1944 Great Lakes team, compiled a 9-2-1 record and Mello was considered to be "the offensive mainstay" of the team.<ref name=":3" /> Back at Notre Dame, Mello's old jersey number (#65) was given to John Panelli, who shared his striking resemblance to Mello.<ref>{{Cite news|date=December 7, 1945|title=1945 Notre Dame Football Review|work=The Notre Dame Scholastic|url=https://archives.nd.edu/Football/Football-1945s.pdf|access-date=October 13, 2021}}</ref> According to a student reporter, Panelli "could pass as Mello's brother, often creating confusion on the practice field."<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|date=December 1946|title=1946 Notre Dame Football Review|work=The Notre Dame Scholastic|url=http://archives.nd.edu/Football/Football-1946s.pdf|access-date=October 13, 2021}}</ref> Panelli and Mello would later play together as members of the Detroit Lions during the 1949 season.
In 1945, Mello was drafted by the Boston Yanks in the 6th round (47th overall) of the 1945 NFL draft.<ref name="auto" />
=== Return to Notre Dame (1946) === After the end of World War II, Mello returned to Notre Dame after more than two years away. Now almost 26 years old, married, and the father of a young son, Mello returned to a team with significant depth in the backfield.<ref name=":4" /> Even still, Mello was able to reclaim his job as starting fullback for the Irish, something that he told the student newspaper was one of his "biggest personal thrills."<ref name=":4" /> Respected as a leader and a reliable ball-carrier, Mello was named team captain for the Irish's 49-6 route against Purdue on October 12, 1945.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news|last=Callahan|first=Charlie|date=December 13, 1946|title=Recapitulation of 1946 Notre Dame Football Season|work=University of Notre Dame Department of Public Information|url=https://und.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/nd_m_footbl_2011_12_misc_non_event__football-1940-49.pdf|access-date=October 13, 2021}}</ref> At the season's end, Mello was Notre Dame's top scorer - with 6 touchdowns and 307 rushing yards on 61 carries - and the Associated Press again named the undefeated Notre Dame squad national champions.<ref name=":5" /> In a fitting conclusion to his notable college career, Mello was selected to be the starting fullback for the 1947 College All-Stars Team and scored the opening touchdown in a 16–0 victory over the Chicago Bears in the 1947 edition of the College All-Star Football Classic.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|date=23 August 1947|title=Ex-Hoosier Grid Stars Help Rout Chicago Bears|work=Indianapolis Times|url=https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=IPT19470823.1.7&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-------|access-date=12 October 2021}}</ref>
==Professional career== After graduating from Notre Dame, Mello played for the Boston Yanks, who had previously drafted him, in 1947. He appeared in nine games in his first year, starting four.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MellJi20.htm|title=Jim Mello Stats|website=Pro-Football-Reference.com}}</ref> He recorded 33 rush attempts for 62 yards. On receptions, Mello gained 26 yards.<ref name="auto2"/>
He played for two teams in 1948: the Chicago Rockets of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). With the Rams, he appeared in three games, and with the Rockets, six. He finished the season with 57 rush attempts for 246 yards.<ref name="auto2" /> He also contributed 4 receptions for 55 yards.
He played for the Rockets again in 1949, playing one game before joining the Detroit Lions. With the Lions, he appeared in ten games. He was a two-way player at the time, making three interceptions for 61 yards on defense. He also had 3 fumble returns for 25 yards.
In 1950, Mello played five games in the AFL with the Paterson Panthers. They folded after the season, ending his professional career.
==Personal life== Jim Mello married his wife, Winifred Jacqueline "Jacquie" Mello, in 1944, while he was a student at Notre Dame. They were married for 59 years and together had four children, four grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2003-12-02|title=Obituary for Winifred Jacqueline Mello, 1924-2003 (Aged 79)|pages=D5|work=The South Bend Tribune|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45547566/obituary-for-winifred-jacqueline-mello/|access-date=2021-10-13}}</ref>
After retiring from professional football, Mello served as Director of Physical Education at the Mansfield Training School for Special Needs Children. He was also a prominent figure in the early days of the Special Olympics and was a long-time organizer of the Connecticut Special Olympics.<ref name=":0" />
Upon his retirement in 1986, Jim and Jacquie moved to Mesa, Arizona, where Mello lived until his death on May 27, 2006, at the age of 85. He is buried in St. Joseph's Cemetery in South Bend, Indiana.<ref name=":0" />
==References== {{Reflist}} {{1943 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football navbox}} {{1946 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football navbox}} {{Boston Yanks 1945 NFL draft picks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mello, Jim}} Category:1920 births Category:2006 deaths Category:American football fullbacks Category:American football linebackers Category:American football cornerbacks Category:Players of American football from Rhode Island Category:Boston Yanks players Category:Detroit Lions players Category:Los Angeles Rams players Category:Chicago Rockets players Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II Category:American people of Portuguese descent Category:Sportspeople of Portuguese descent Category:West Warwick High School alumni Category:American Association (American football) players