Johnny Rizzo was born on July 30, 1912 in Houston, Texas. He signed with the St Louis Cardinals in 1931 and played at Galveston and Corpus Christi his rookie year. In 1938, Rizzo's rookie season with the Pirates, he set a team record for home runs that lasted until 1946. The Rookie of the Year Award had not yet been established, but Rizzo finished sixth in the balloting for National League Most Valuable Player in his inaugural season. He was traded by the Pirates to the Cincinnati Reds on May 8, 1940. In turn, the Reds traded Rizzo to the Philadelphia Phillies on June 15, 1940. After the 1941 season, he was traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers on December 10, 1941. The final game of his Major League career was September 25, 1942. On March 1, 1943, he entered military service with the Navy. He was stationed at Norman Air Technical Training Center in Oklahoma where he regularly played baseball with the Navy Skyjackets. Rizzo was 33 when he returned to baseball in 1946. He played with the Dodgers’ farm team at St Paul and was with Sacramento of the Pacific Coast League in 1947. In 1949 he ended his baseball career. Johnny Rizzo later worked in the sporting goods business and as an automobile salesman. He passed away in Houston, Texas on December 4, 1977, aged 55.
Source
Section 502
Forest Park Westheimer Cemetery
Houston
COORDINATES
29° 44.518, -095° 36.540
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