Stu’s Hunt Down: Tino Lettieri
Posted on January 3rd, 2008 – 2:38 PMBy Michael Rand
Name: Tino Lettieri
Nickname: that would be “Tino.”
Claim to Fame, Minnesota: a soc-cer goalkeeper for both the Minnesota Kicks and Minnesota Strikers in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Kept a stuffed parrot named “Ozzie” in the back of the net during games.
Claim to Fame, Everywhere Else: raised in Canada, he represented the country in the 1976 and 1984 Summer Olympics (not 1980, though; how you like us now, Dmitri?). Also, per Wiki, “Lettieri earned 24 caps for Canada and was their first-choice goalie from 1980 until the 1986 FIFA World Cup, where he played two of Canada’s three matches.” 24 caps, people! That’s meaningful! I guess!
Where He Is Now: if you’ve eaten a convenience store breakfast sandwich or calzone in the last ten years or so, you likely have Tino to thank. He founded Lettieri’s Authentic Foods in 1994, which is now a subsidiary of Hot Stuff Foods. More recently, he opened Café Lettieri’s in Shorewood.
Glorious Randomness: married Lou Nanne’s daughter. Soccer, hockey, no scoring, honeymoon…nope, no jokes to be made here. None whatsoever. Let’s move on.
Talk Amongst Yourselves: why don’t the English call it “soccer” like everyone else who speaks American does? It’s just so confusing!
17 Responses to "Stu’s Hunt Down: Tino Lettieri"
They don’t call it soccer like everyone else does i.e like we do, the dominant peoples of the planet just like they don’t call it Chinese food in Peking.
For myself, I simply call it sad now that football is near an end and the only sports to watch are hockey, and freak sized men playing basketball and soccer on cable from South America.
I guess it’s time thento ice fish, to do something sit on my (your)bu.t. Even biking outdoors is more fun than watching glandular cases run up and down the court, sort of like soccer with scoring. I say make the paint HUGE and the basket 4 ft higher. Put the emphasis back on shooting rather than genetics. Right now every other point is a dunk…fun to watch for 5 minutes, then a huge yawner…
bring on Spring and life away from freakish sports..
biking outdoors is fun, but judging by my appearance on KARE 11 last night it is more fun indoors 
You keep this media whoring up, Rookie, and CJ is gonna start writing about you.
I should just verify that you were talking about the off-season biking story by Ron Schara, and not the theft of the Baby Jesus statue. Because that would be a weird thing to call attention to.
Sweet, I asked for this Hunt down a couple of months ago! Xmas came just a few days late.
$30,000 for a baby Jesus statue? Man, I’m investing in the wrong companies…
BTW - Not sure if it was mentioned or not, but Jon won the RBFFL which once again proves that Jon knows more about sports than the rest of us.
Super Rookie’s latest media whoring is available online here.
About time you did a Kicks Huntdown.
I don’t understand why they don’t call it “Futbol”. La mayoria de las personas en el mundo que juega futbol son de los paises hispanohablantes.
I have no idea if that’s true. But I need the practice.
Shaq’s birthname (there I go with these newfangled wei.d as.ed names again) is “3″ vertical”. It would be interesting not only to make da paint bigger, but to outlaw shooting from anywhere within it. Watching freaks like Shaq setup and stuff game after game cheapens the game. Who needs Phat playing b’ball anyway ?
Impressive biking Super Rookie. No Sunday drive in the park is winter biking, even winter biking in the streets.
I’m sure you only met the reporter doing the piece, but if you caught a glimpse of Mike Pomeranz, is it true he hangs a bandana on that nose when out and about ? And what a snoz and rewind the tape and check those eyes, closest in the local media. But, it’s gratifying this guy wasn’t chosen for his looks.
I got an Ozzie parrot for christmas this year…in mint condition. What’s that worth?
roughkat: you and ramon both asked for one, although ramon asked for Alan Willey or Ace Netsolingoe, I think.
It being a family paper, I couldn’t go into the parking lot tailgating orgies and virgin sacrifices. But I’ve been told that these things happened. It was the ’70s.
Not the virgin sacrifices.
Unfortunately Ace passed away a couple years ago. Great talent. My favorite memory was his amazed, beaming smile as we carried him off the pitch after the Conference championship.
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Thanks for sharing
I’d prefer reading in my native language, because my knowledge of your languange is no so well. But it was interesting! Look for some my links:
