Torino Legends: Il Grande Torino, Pt. 1

By: bingitz2002 | August 13th, 2008

It has been slow going for Toro in the past few days, which is disconcerting as we approach the crucial point of our mercato. We beat up yet another lower league team today, this time taking our frustration out on Ivrea, whom we beat 3-0 with goals from Abbruscato, Vailatti, and Ventola. At least we know if we go down to Serie B our strikers might actually be able to score there.

Believe it or not though, complaining about our team’s striking woes is not the point of this blog, or even this post. Since it has been a slow week for the team, I decided it would be the perfect time to start blogging a little bit about the magnificent and tragic history of this team in the hope that some readers will come off knowing a little more about how this team has come to where it is now and what role Torino has played and will continue to play in Italian football. I will continue this over the course of this blog, when there is a lull in news or I’m feeling particularly enthused and motivated. Our first subject is a special group of men whose story forever changed the world of Italian football.

Note: This is a long story, so I have divided it into three parts.

Simply the best. There are no other words I can think of to describe Il Grande Torino. Although I missed seeing them in person by about four decades, countless hours of watching clips and searching through various sources has given me an idea of just how great this team was. In many ways, this group were more than just a football team, they were a symbol of hope and optimism in a dark period of Italian history. They amazed crowds, set records, and still managed to be a part of the city life in Turin.

Part One: Beginnings

The brainchild behind this team was Torino president Ferruccio Novo, who assumed the presidency of the club in 1939, just as the world was about to descend into chaos. Novo’s start as president was a slow one. After finishing as runners-up in Serie A the season before Novo took over, Torino finished 6th in the 1939-1940 championship and 7th in the following season. However, the first elements of Grande Torino were already coming together. Forward Franco Ossola had been bought from Varese in 1939 but made relatively little impact his first season. After the end of the 1941 championship, midfielder Guglielmo Gabbeto was purchased from city rivals Juventus, where he had already made a big name for himself, with 85 goals in 164 appearances, just over 0.5 goals per game from midfield. Also added were Gabbeto’s Juventus teammates Alfredo Bodoira and Felice Borel, Liguria’s tricky winger Romeo Menti and finally Piero Ferraris.

The 1941-42 Torino team was a strong team, chasing a hotly contested scudetto along with Roma and Venezia. However, as the season wore on it became apparent that Torino would need something extra, something special, to be annual championship contenders. Novo found that something special in a pair of players currently playing for Toro’s title rivals Venezia. Valentino Mazzola and Ezio Loik were already stars in their own right at Venezia, having attracted the attention of the entire Italian peninsula even as war raged on. Novo paid a record 1,400,000 lire for both players, an unheard of sum at that time and beating a big offer from Juventus. However, as word of the transfers spread, Venezia hosted Torino in a key championship match. After Torino took a 1-0 lead, the Venezia fans began to heckle Mazzola, calling him a sellout. In response, Mazzola clenched his fists and went into a rage on the pitch, leading Venezia to a 3-1 victory and costing Torino their chance at the scudetto, which Roma went on to win by three points over the granata.

The 1942-43 championship side

Despite the loss of the championship, the team was in place. With one other addition, defensive midfielder Giuseppe Grezar from Triestina, Torino were again ready to challenge for the title. However, after disappointing losses in the opening two matches, Novo was already having doubts about his plan. What changed all this was one of the most famous derbies, the ‘debut’ of Il Grande Torino. In that game, the team came alive, putting the Juventus defense to the sword with a brace from Menti and goals from Ferraris, Loik, and Mazzola, who would all continue as crucial parts of the team. After winning the derby 5-2, Torino’s season was jump started. They destroyed Genoa, Roma, and Fiorentina, putting twelve goals past them in those three games. Despite some ups and downs, Torino managed to win their last six games on the trot, ensuring a hard-fought one point scudetto triumph over Livorno. In addition, Torino triumphed in the Coppa Italia, putting four goals past Venezia in the final, including a goal by Mazzola against his former team. The legend had begun.

To be continued…