BROCKTON - The nephew of Brockton boxing legend Rocky Marciano died at his home in the city on Monday.
Peter Marciano Jr., a former Brockton City Council member and an accomplished athlete in his own right, leaves two children and a wife in Brockton. He was 48.
Peter Marciano Jr.'s father, Peter Marciano Sr., said that the family is "broken up over" the loss.
His death is not considered to be suspicious.
"We are going to miss him greatly," said Peter Marciano Sr., when reached on Monday night. "He was an outstanding athlete. But, more than that, he was a really big-hearted. He loved his family. He loved his friends. He will be tremendously missed."
Marciano worked as a representative for the Massachusetts State Lottery.
Following his graduation from Brockton High School in 1985, Peter Marciano Jr. played football as a punt returner and wide receiver for the University of Iowa. It's the same state where Rocky Marciano died in a plane crash in on Aug. 31, 1969, at age 45.
After his college career, Marciano played briefly in the professional football league in Italy for a team in Bologna, setting a record with four touchdowns in one game.
While in high school, Marciano helped win a few High School Super Bowl titles for the Boxers, his father said.
"He was really quite an accomplished athlete, and a tremendous football player," Peter Marciano Sr. said.
Peter Marciano Jr. served one term on the Brockton School Committee from 1993 through 1995, before he was elected to serve two terms on the Brockton City Council from 1999 to 2003.
"He was very well known in the area," his father said.
Brockton Mayor Bill Carpenter released a message late on Monday through Twitter, expressing sorrow about the loss of Peter Marciano Jr.
"Mourning the loss of my friend Peter Marciano," Carpenter said. "Words cannot express the sadness I'm feeling tonight. Hope he's at peace."
Charlie Tartaglia, owner of George's Cafe in Brockton, said that Peter Marciano's death was a "tragedy" for a family that he has always been close friends with.
"The whole family is salt of the earth," Tartaglia said. "It's a tragedy for a young man with his whole life ahead of him."
Peter Marciano Jr. would come by occasionally for a sandwich at George's Cafe, where the walls are covered with Rocky Marciano memorabilia, and he would also sit down next door at Petti Market and Deli each Saturday with Tartaglia's brother going over the newspapers, the restaurant owner said.
Tartaglia repeated several times "what a great athlete" Peter Marciano Jr. was in many sports, including baseball. Peter Marciano Jr. was also a very good umpire for the American Legion Baseball league in Brockton, Tartaglia said.
"You had to know him to really appreciate him," Tartaglia said. "It's just so tragic. It just hurts. I heard that tonight and it tore my gut apart. I was talking to him a few weeks ago. It's a shame. It's just a waste of a great kid. I really can't say anymore. He was just a wonderful, wonderful guy."
Article courtesy of Enterprise News