When fullback Alan Ameche scored the winning touchdown in overtime, giving the Colts a 23-17 victory over the New York Giants, Ameche slammed the ball to the ground.
In the bedlam that followed, Marchetti said, "a fan grabbed the ball and would have run off with it if Buzz hadn't chased after him and gotten it back."
In their jubilant locker room, the Colts presented the ball to Marchetti, who had broken his leg during the game. Marchetti, in turn, presented the ball to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in Chicago, where it remains on display.
In 1961, Nutter was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, along with defensive tackle Gene "Big Daddy" Lipscomb, for receiver Jimmy Orr. There, overshadowed no more, Nutter made All-Pro. In 1965, he returned to Baltimore for his 12th and final season before starting the beer distributorship in Waldorf that his family still owns.
Nutter is survived by two sisters, Anne Allen of Huntington, W.Va., and Judy Young of West Palm Beach, Fla; a brother, Bill Nutter of Parkersburg, W.Va.; three sons, David Nutter of Bryantown, Douglas Nutter of Marbury and Brian Nutter of La Plata; a daughter, Lisa Bowie of Burlington, Ontario; and 10 grandchildren.
Nutter's wife of 44 years, Carole, a devout Catholic, died in 1997. Two days before her death, in a service that took place in his wife's hospital room, Nutter - a lifelong Methodist - converted to Catholicism.
"He died a Catholic," David Nutter said yesterday.
Funeral services - a viewing and Mass - will be held Saturday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church (times to be determined), followed by interment at Mount Carmel Monastery, both in La Plata.
mike.klingaman@baltsun.com
