Madeo Molinari

Molinari was born on March 23, 1920, in Chicago, Illinois,[2] to an Italian family.[1][3] His father died when he was young and his older brother had to work to support the family, allowing him to attend Steinmetz College Prep[2] where he was a star athlete.[3] He graduated from Steinmetz in 1938 and afterwards enrolled at Ripon College in Wisconsin.[3] Molinari majored in biology and physical education and played for the school's football, basketball,[4] and track and field teams.[3] It was here where he acquired his lifelong nickname "Moon."[3] Playing end in football, he was an all-conference selection and helped them to two consecutive conference championships, while serving as team captain in his senior year.[2] He also threw discus for the track team and was a member of the graduating class of 1943.[2][3] Molinari received a bachelor's degree from Ripon.[5]

Molinari served in World War II after his time at Ripon, eventually achieving the rank of captain.[3] He served for a time at the Miami Beach OCS, before being sent to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, where he was the Base PT Officer.[4] At Barksdale, he married his college sweetheart Rosemary Middleton,[3] whom he had three children with and remained married to until his death.[6] Molinari was later reassigned to Morris Field in North Carolina.[4]

External video
Madeo "Moon" Molinari (2008). Video about the life of Molinari.

According to Barksdale's Bark, Molinari coached a high school team in Ripon, Wisconsin, after his graduation from college but before serving in the war.[4] In 1946, he was hired by his alma mater as a physical education instructor, football end coach, junior varsity basketball coach, and head tennis coach.[7] Molinari served in these positions for one year, before leaving in May 1947 to study at Indiana University Bloomington.[7]

Around 1948, Molinari became head football coach, track and field coach,[8] baseball coach,[9] basketball coach,[10] athletic director, and boys physical education teacher[11] at Sandwich High School.[3] He led his football team to four consecutive undefeated seasons and conference championships,[3] before resigning in 1953 to study at the University of Wisconsin–Madison,[12] from which he received a master's degree.[5]

Molinari returned to coaching in 1954 as head of the football team at Iron Mountain High School in Michigan.[13] He also served as athletic director, baseball coach, and golf coach, and in his second season added the role of track coach.[14] After being told by a friend about an opening at Winona State University, he resigned from Iron Mountain in June 1956 to accept the job.[3][14][15] "I didn't know anything about it," Molinari later said, "but it turned out to be ... perfect."[3]

Molinari began as assistant football coach,[5] and added on the title of baseball coach in 1957.[16] His baseball teams won three conference championships (two NIC, one Bi-State Conference) over a period of two years,[5] and he helped the football team win championships in 1956 and 1957.[3] In 1958, Molinari was promoted to head football coach.[17] He stopped coaching baseball in order to accept the position.[5]

Molinari went on to serve a total of thirteen seasons as head football coach, and became among the most successful in team history.[5] He led them to conference championships five times, and in an additional four years were the runner-up in the conference.[3] They ranked top ten nationally in defense from 1961 to 1962, and in the latter, as well as 1964, went undefeated in conference play.[3][5]

Molinari was named the conference coach of the year in 1968,[5] but resigned two years later after a 2–7 record in 1970.[2] Molinari was also the golf coach at Winona State, having received the position in 1959,[18] and continued serving in the position even after resigning as football coach.[2] He left the program following the 1978 season,[19] and finished with a 66–33–9 record.[5] He was inducted into the Winona State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989.[5]

After retiring as a coach, Molinari joined the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, where he worked for several years.[3] Afterwards, he moved with his wife to a retirement beach home in Florida.[3] After living there for around 20 years, he moved back to the midwest, where he spent the final years of his life.[3] Molinari died on October 20, 2011, at the age of 91.[20]