Joseph Roffo
French sportsman (1879–1933)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Louis Joseph Roffo (21 January 1879 – 5 February 1933) was a French sportsman who played football and rugby union for Racing Club de France in the late 1890s.[1] He also participated in the tug of war event of the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, winning a silver medal as a member of the French team.[2]
|
Joseph Roffo at the 1900 Olympic Games | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Louis Joseph Roffo | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 21 January 1879 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | 10th arrondissement of Paris, France | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 5 February 1933 (aged 54) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | 16th arrondissement of Paris, France | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Defender | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1896–1899 | Racing Club de France | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Sporting career
Football
Born in the 10th arrondissement of Paris on 21 January 1879,[2] Roffo began his sporting career at his hometown club Racing Club de France (RCF), where he practiced several sports, such as union rugby and football; for instance, on 4 April 1897, the 18-year-old Roffo did not hesitate to abandon a rugby game to replace the injured Guillaume de Saint-Cyr in a football championship match against CP Asnières, which ended in a loss as Racing finished fourth in the 1897 USFSA Championship.[1] The local newspaper Tous les sports described this action as "good sportsmanship".[1] Roffo had been playing for Racing's football team as early as January 1897, when he started as a defender against United Sports Club (1–1).[3] Two years later, on 22 October 1899, he started in a match against Paris Star, in which he was forced to leave the pitch due to injury.[4]
Other sports
In 1896, the 17-year-old Roffo became the French scholastic champion in the 100 meters, so he was selected as a member of the RCF team that participated in the French Athletics Championships in 1896, where he finished third in the 100 meters.[2][5] Two years later, he won a interschool fencing championship, and in April 1899, he participated in a fencing tournament in Brussels, in which he defeated Mr. Vivès, who was replacing the ill Mr. Louradour.[6]
The following year, Roffo was a member of the French team that won the silver medal in the tug-of-war event at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris; the team was mainly made up of RCF members, such as Roger Basset and Charles Gondouin.[2][7][8]
Later life and death
In 1904, Roffo graduated from the École Centrale Paris as an engineer in manufacturing and arts.[2][9] He eventually became the managing director of the Société des Établissements Roffo.[9]
Roffo lived his entire life in Paris, dying in the 16th arrondissement of Paris on 5 February 1933, at the age of 54.[2][9] His funeral was held three days later and he was buried at the Père Lachaise Cemetery.[9]