From the NFL to Bataan and Back: The Heroic Journey of Notre Dame's Motts Tonelli

After overcoming a crippling childhood injury, Mario "Motts" Tonelli became a national celebrity as a bruising fullback at Notre Dame and for the NFL's Chicago Cardinals. By volunteering for the U.S. Army prior to World War II, Tonelli willingly gave up his football career, only to become a prisoner of the Japanese. He survived both the infamous Bataan Death March and a horrendous Japanese "hell ship," as well as years of beatings and near-starvation. His sole possession, his Notre Dame class ring, was stolen from him on the Bataan Death March. By an unexpected act of kindness, the ring was returned to Tonelli and became his symbol of hope throughout his captivity.

When finally released after 42 months, the formerly 210-pound Tonelli weighed less than 100 pounds. Miraculously, he returned to play one more game in the National Football League before embarking on a rewarding career as a public servant. Motts was a reluctant hero who attempted to hide the pain from his wartime treatment that lingered both mentally and physically for the rest of his life. This biography chronicles Tonelli's survival and his determination to return to the family, and the game, that he loved.