Temple University Athletics
Temple Mourns The Passing Of Baseball Great, John Marzano
4.19.08 | Baseball
April 19, 2008
PHILADELPHIA - Temple University mourns the sudden death of All-American, Olympian and former major leaguer John Marzano, who passed away on Saturday at his home in South Philadelphia. A member of the University's athletics hall of fame, Marzano was 45 years old.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of John Marzano," director of athletics Bill Bradshaw said. "He was a terrific friend of Temple baseball and a dedicated player, broadcaster, father and husband. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this very difficult time."
Marzano owns the highest batting average in program history (.413) and is second all-time in slugging percentage (.676) and RBI (147). He earned first team All-America honors from Baseball America and The Sporting News as a junior in 1984 after batting .448 with 15 home runs and 61 RBI to lead Temple to its second straight Atlantic 10 Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance.
The Central High School graduate was a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic baseball team and was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the first round (14th overall) of the 1984 MLB Draft. He played ten seasons in the majors with Boston, Texas and Seattle.
After retiring, Marzano spent time as a broadcaster on Comcast SportsNet, 610 WIP, and MLB.com. He was inducted into the Temple Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998.
A moment of silence will be observed prior to Temple's baseball game on Sunday versus Duquesne.
Marzano is survived by his wife Terri, daughters Dominique and Danielle, and two grandchildren.
