Joseph Mazzaferro - 2002
MHS 1946 Graduate
Joseph Mazzaferro, Class of 1946, was nominated for the Minerva High School Alumni Hall of Fame by Thomas Shaffer. Joe excelled in sports, served in the armed forces, and held positions with B. F. Goodrich from 1956 until his retirement in 1990.
He and Joanne, his wife of 46 years, live in Akron and are the parents of two daughters, Lynda Miller of Fairlawn and Lisa Wainwright of Akron.
While in high school, Mazzaferro was awarded three varsity letters in each sport of football, basketball and baseball. He was captain of the football team his junior and senior years, an all Tri-County Guard his junior and senior years and was awarded the title of All Stark County Guard his senior year. He was the youngest of the four Mazzaferro brothers to play football for Minerva High. After graduation, he enrolled at Akron University.
As a member of the Akron Zips' football team, he played both offense and defense as a guard-linebacker. Although he played on three losing teams for the Zips, he became their first football player to be named to the All-Ohio or All-Ohio Conference football teams for three seasons. He was named All-OC in 1950 and 1951 and was named to the All-Ohio honor squads in both 1951 and 1952. During his junior and senior years, he served as co-captain of the football team and was voted the Touchdown Club Trophy as most outstanding lineman both seasons. As a member of the Zips' football team, he set a record of 21 tackles in one game and 93 tackles in nine games. This last record held until 1975. Mazzaferro was also a three-year letterman in baseball for the Zips as catcher. He hit .370 his senior year and had a college career average of .349.
Mazzaferro played two years for the Minerva Merchants semi-pro football team and has also played on a variety of baseball teams, including the Carrollton Eagles semi-pro team. He played softball for B. F. Goodrich and American Electric Switch. In 1954 he coached the Akron University freshman football team. He was a registered football official from 1960 through 1970, lifetime member of Akron U. Varsity "A" Association, a charter member of the Cleveland Browns' Boosters, Akron Chapter and was inducted into the Akron University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1976. In 1990, he was inducted into the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame.
Mazzaferro received his Bachelor's Degree from Akron University in Industrial Management. During his junior year he was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership and academic fraternity, and he graduated as a distinguished military graduate in ROTC. He received a Master's Degree in Personnel Management from Kent State.
Mazzaferro served in the military as a 1st Lieutenant in the USAF-Northeast Air Command and was stationed primarily in Newfoundland as Air Direction Officer.
He joined B. F. Goodrich in 1956 as cost analyst in the tire division, and became manager for new systems development for that division in 1964 and project manager in 1966. In 1967 he became manager of inventory and distribution methods and manager of products and materials in 1969. In the corporate division he served as Director of Management Information Services, Director of Distribution Services and ended his career with B.F. Goodrich as Director, MIS/Telecommunications.
He was a member of the National Association of Accountants and of the American Production and Inventory Control Society.
Today Mazzaferro lives in Akron spending time with his four grandchildren, his children, his family and enjoys vacations in Myrtle Beach.