Appreciation: Major Michael Mucci Sr., Football Star at Revere High and Boston College

The City of Revere is mourning the loss of one of its greatest football players of all time, Michael C. Mucci Sr., who died on Jan. 28, 2022. He was 71 years old.

Major Michael C. Mucci Sr. had a distinguished 33-year career in the Massachusetts State Police.

In Revere, Mr. Mucci’s incredible prowess on the football field was recognized very early in his life. Lifelong friends and teammates including Mike Cella, and some of the standouts that preceded and followed him at Revere High, such as Jim Del Gaizo and Joe Festa, knew that they were watching someone special perform on the field, someone who excel at the next level, which he did at Boston College.

Mike Cella attended Lincoln Elementary School and Garfield Junior High with Michael Mucci Sr. and was a classmate at Revere High School, Class of 1968.

“Mike played Pop Warner and then we teamed up in football on the Garfield team,” recalled Cella. “And then he and Stevie Guarino were captains in our senior year at Revere High.”

 Cella said that Michael Mucci was “lights out” greatness in multiple sports, though football was his best.

“Michael always had ability, he was a tremendous athlete,” said Cella. “No matter what he touched, he was good at. He was a big, strong kid, with extraordinary talent. And he proved it when he went to college.”

At Boston College, one of the top football programs in the Northeast, Mucci was an Honorable Mention All-American defensive player. His brilliant career earned him induction into the BC Hall of Fame. He remained dedicated to the college throughout his life, serving as president of the BC Gridiron Club and BC Varsity Club.

Mr. Mucci would return to the Revere High football program as an assistant coach when his sons, Michael Mucci Jr. and Gregory Mucci, took the field and carried on their father’s incredible legacy. His daughter, Kristen Mucci, also had an excellent career as a student-athlete at Revere High.

“Mike Sr. coached with me in our program when Mike Jr. and Greg were playing football for Revere High,” recalled Cella. “He brought so much knowledge to the table with his collegiate football experience. He really helped our program a lot. We were so honored to have him as part of our football program again. And his sons were terrific players. Mike Jr. and Gregory were both tremendous athletes and team leaders, and Kristen was exceptional in sports as well.”

Cella said he used to enjoy seeing Michael Mucci Sr. at the class reunions, where they would reminisce with their other teammates about their football careers and playing football for Cella’s father, Silvio Cella.

Former Revere High quarterback Jim Del Gaizo, who preceded Michael Mucci Sr. as a major college football prospect at Revere High, said he was saddened by his loss.

“He was a great guy and an amazing football player,” said Del Gaizo, who went on to play college football at Syracuse and Tampa. “Mike was a freshman when I was a senior [at Revere High], so were never teammates, but I knew of him and that his potential was through the roof. He was just a nice person and someone everybody liked.”

All-Scholastic running back Joe Festa, Class of 1974, emerged as the next great Revere High prospect after Michael Mucci Sr. went on to star at Boston College. “When I was a kid, I used to go to the Revere High football games and watch him play,” said Festa. “And I know that Michael Mucci Sr. helped Mr. Cella coach the Revere High team in my senior year. He was always a gentleman and a person that everyone respected. He was a great football player at Boston College. I extend my sincere condolences to his family on their loss.”