AMHS Founding Member Was A Local Soccer Star
By Nancy DeSanti with Ennio Di Tullio
Those were the days! Ennio Di Tullio with his team photo.
With the World Cup on center stage this summer, we thought our members might be interested to know that one of AMHS’s founding members and our past president, Ennio DiTullio, was once the star of a local soccer team which actually won some championships back in the day.
The soccer club was started by Holy Rosary Pastor Giuseppe Spigolon’s assistant, Father Domenico Rodighiero. The club was formed under the auspices of Azione Cattolica. This was back in the 1960s, when many young immigrants were coming from Italy.
Among the most popular events for young people were the soccer games. The Italian Cadets (Cadetti) soccer team was formed by Father Domenico in 1964-1965. The team played in the Washington Amateurs Soccer League. This league included players from Europe and also Central and South America.
The Italian Cadets won championships in 1966 and 1968. Afterwards, they of course celebrated the victories with big banquets. The Cadets played until the mid-1970s. Most games would be played on Sunday afternoons, with a lot of Italians who came after Mass and the pranzo domenicale to cheer on the Italian Cadets. The signs would read “Forza Cadetti” and “Evviva I Cadetti.” Many fans from other nationalities also came to see the games.
Team photo of I Cadetti. Ennio is in the front row, second from left in the dark goalie shirt.
Ennio is one of the only players who is still active in the community. He was the first goal keeper. They nicknamed Ennio “the Jaguaro” because they said he jumped like a jaguar, and he said friends from that era still call him Jaguaro or Jaguarotto (big Jaguaro).
Victory banquets were common for I Cadetti.
Ennio remembers well the team’s coaches, including Dante Pagi, Alberto DeVita, Franco Ercolano and Salvatore Bianchini, who played with the Cadets before he became a coach. Also among the top players were Lucio, Luigi and Peppe Tonizzo. The managerial assistants included Lucio Marchiggiani, Joe Marchiggiani and Mario Ciccone (deceased AMHS member).
In addition to enjoying playing “the beautiful game” together, Ennio noted that the team members formed a tight bond that led to enduring friendships over many years.
The team was good enough to be mentioned in a 1966 article by New York City-based newspaper Il Progresso Italo Americano which noted that in that season, the team had 12 wins (vittorie), 3 ties (pareggi) and only 1 loss (sconfitta).
Ennio came here in 1963 from Rosello, a small town in the province of Chieti, in Abruzzo. He met his wife Emma Del Borrello through Holy Rosary, when she used to come with her brother Mike and his wife Rose to see the games. Emma was from Vasto, in Abruzzo, which was one hour away from Ennio’s hometown. After they started dating, she would come with him and watch the games from near the goalpost. He said when they scored a goal on him, people would yell at her to leave because they thought she was a distraction. But on the other hand, Ennio said that he saved many goals just to impress his future wife. They were married in January 1969 at Holy Rosary Church, where their children were later baptized and married, and their grandchildren baptized as well. (Ennio and Emma were married for 50 years until she passed away).
Emma and Ennio holding the championship trophy.
Ennio came to Washington, D.C. in 1963 with a Diplomatic Visa and worked in the Embassies of Peru, Brazil and Venezuela. He remembers that when he arrived at the airport in D.C., a limousine was there waiting to pick him up, and that’s when he knew he had come to the right place. In 1967, he began a successful career with the World Bank in the computer field. Ennio retired from the World Bank after 31 years.
Besides a busy career and family life, Ennio devoted his time and talents to the Abruzzo and Molise Heritage Society. He is one of the founding members of the Society and has served as the first Vice President for Programs, Vice President for Membership, Chairman of the Gala Committee, Editor of the AMHS Notiziario and was the second President of the Society serving over two terms. He said he is proud of his work in formalizing the Society’s relations with the Abruzzo and Molise regions and establishing the Scholarship Program.
These days Ennio enjoys visiting Italy, especially his beloved hometown Rosello. With his soccer-playing days behind him, he now enjoys playing briscola monthly at the IAMDC museum, where he is one of the most experienced players helping to teach the newcomers.
Although unfortunately the Italian national team (the Azzurri) aren’t competing in the World Cup this time, Ennio said he wishes them well, and better luck next time, when the next World Cup will be in 2030, jointly hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain.
Summer 2026