St. Rita alum hasn’t missed a football game since 1969
October 11, 2011 10:10AM
St. Rita athletic director Mike Zunica (left) shows a plaque to 1972 graduate Dr. Jerry Grieco as he is honored for attending his 501st consecutive football game Friday, September 23, 2011.| Brett Roseman~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: November 16, 2011 1:05PM
Dr. Gerardo Grieco hasn’t missed a St. Rita High School varsity football game since his freshman year — which is saying something given that he was a freshman at the South Side school in 1969. Grieco’s 43-year streak now stands at 503 games. For 32 years, the surgeon has been attending as both fan and team doctor, even though he lives 144 miles away in Bloomington. He says he’s attended no matter what else he also had to do that day, which explains why he showed up for a game in 1990 in the tuxedo. “I was the best man at my brother’s wedding,” says Grieco. “The wedding was three hours later. My mother asked me where I was going. I told her I was going to the St. Rita game. Besides, I said, they have to wait for me. I’ve got the ring.”
