Vincent Calarco

1923–2016
Category
Basketball
Year Inducted
2014
by Todd Peterson
Westfield's Vincent Calarco celebrated his 90th birthday May 18, 2013. His subsequent induction into the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame was a belated, but well-deserved present that honors his many accomplishments.
Calarco grew up loving sports and spent much of his youth at the YMCA. He attended Westfield Academy and played junior varsity sports in the eighth grade. In high school he excelled in four varsity sports - football, basketball, baseball and track. In fact, he was so good, he earned 15 out of 16 total letters, the most any student could receive, and picked up a large collection of all-conference awards and medals in tournaments along the way.
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His family operated Calarco's Restaurant in Westfield, where he began working at the age of 13 and once home, he returned and he and his wife and children continue to serve great Italian dishes.
When he got back, he formed the Calarco Trojans semi-pro basketball team, which began playing area teams in the Merchant League and eventually the Chautauqua County Basketball Association for more than seven years. He also formed baseball and football teams, which continued for 24 years and played football with the Jamestown team in 1948-49.
At that point, Calarco took on a whole new role as a basketball referee and for the next 50 years, traveled throughout the area officiating hundreds of games.
Calarco was the civil defense director in Westfield for 38 years and was a member of the Westfield Planning Board, the Knights of Columbus, Kiwanis, the Westfield Business Association and was part of the Legion Marching Squad.
In a note attached to his biographical information, Calarco noted the following: "This is what sports do. They bring great people together and that's what the world needs more of today."
more about Vincent Calarco
Audios
- Times of Your Life. CSHOF inductee Vincent Calarco and his family join Jim Roselle and Russ Diethrick in the WJTN Studio to talk about their lives and restaurant career. 2011. MP3 audio, 58:22.
Photographs
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CSHOF Induction Banquet - February 17, 2014.
Publications
transcribed publications
- "Vincent R. Calarco, U.S. Army." Observer (Dunkirk), August 29, 2010.
- "Vincent R. Calarco (obituary)." Post-Journal (Jamestown), April 16, 2016.
scanned publications
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Videos
Vincent Calarco is introduced at the CSHOF induction banquet by Steve Calarco.
Vincent Calarco accepts induction into the CSHOF on February 17, 2014.
Websites
- "Vincent R Calarco." Find a Grave. Accessed November 21, 2022. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/161136593/vincent-r-calarco.
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