Mario Tonelli

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Mario George Tonelli (March 28, 1916 – January 7, 2003) was an American football running back who played one season in the NFL for the Chicago Cardinals in 1940. He was born in Lemont, Illinois, and played college football at Notre Dame. He was drafted in 1939 in the 21st round as the 195th overall pick. In 1940 for the Cardinals, he rushed for 148 yards with an average of 2.9 yards per carry, and had 5 receptions for 53 yards and 1 touchdown. He stood 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighed 200 pounds.

During World War II, Tonelli served as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army's 200th Coast Artillery and survived the Bataan Death March. He was held as a prisoner of war in the Davao Penal Colony in the Philippines from 1942 to 1944. He earned the nickname "Motts" during his time in the Army and as a POW. A notable tale from the war is that his Notre Dame class ring was stolen by a Japanese guard but later returned by an officer who had studied at USC and had seen Tonelli score the winning touchdown in the 1937 Notre Dame–USC game. The ring was buried for safekeeping under a metal soap dish near his barracks.

Tonelli died in Chicago, Illinois, in 2003 at the age of 86.