Mario Celotto
Mario Celotto | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 23, 1956 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Professional football player (retired), Entrepreneur |
| Years active | 1978–1981 (football) |
| Known for | NFL linebacker, Super Bowl XV champion, founder of Humboldt Brewing Company |
Mario Raymond Celotto (born August 23, 1956) is a retired professional football linebacker who competed in the National Football League (NFL). He played collegiate football representing the USC Trojans.
Football career
A native of Los Angeles, California, Celotto grew up in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. He is the son of Ray and Cecilia E. Celotto, proprietors of Dreamland Bedding Corporation. After completing his education at St. Bernard High School, he attended the University of Southern California where he played from 1974 through 1977. During his final year, he made a significant play by recovering a fumble and scoring a touchdown against rival Notre Dame. The Buffalo Bills selected him in the seventh round as the 171st overall pick in the 1978 NFL draft. Celotto was part of the Oakland Raiders roster during their victorious Super Bowl XV campaign in 1980. The following year, 1981, saw him playing for multiple teams: the Raiders, the Los Angeles Rams, and the Baltimore Colts. His professional career concluded after 1981 due to a knee injury.
After football
Following his departure from professional football, Celotto established Humboldt Brewing Company in 1987. A decade later, in 1997, Humboldt Brewing combined forces with Mendocino Brewing, enhancing its footprint within the craft beer sector.
Personal life
Mario Celotto wed Julia Lendl, who was an athlete at USC specializing in track and volleyball and held a degree in physical education. Together they had two sons. Their younger son, Tonio Dante Celotto, played collegiate football at the University of Oregon during the 2007 and 2008 seasons and graduated from Piedmont High School in 2007. After divorcing Julia, Mario married Deirdre Taylor Haizlip, who serves as group account director at Carol H. Williams Advertising; their marriage ceremony took place on May 21, 2005, in Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands. In 2009, Tonio departed from Oregon’s football team with intentions to pursue a career with the Los Angeles Police Department.
On February 4, 2011, arranged by the Silicon Valley Education Foundation, Celotto visited a physics class at Yerba Buena High School located in San Jose to explain how Newton’s laws of motion relate to football.