Providence Steam Rollers, 1920s

Grandpa Uno has always been a man of high regard. As a boy, young Grandpa was captain of his soccer team and a leader within his Boy Scout troop (Troop 3 Rules). As an adult, he served as a government representative at various levels and was a trustee in many not-for-profit organizations. However, what is relatively unknown is Grandpa Uno's exploits as a flanker on the Providence Steam Rollers rugby team. Grandpa was famous for his tackle-ball game, where he gained his reputation as a master of the ruck (he would later bear a son with a woman of the same last name, though bastardize the child, whose name was Alan). He coined the phrase which refers to the action as 'passing through the gate' and trained all who played with him in his techniques.

Soon, the team was so powerful in their rucking that unionized rugby became too fearful of the prowess of Uno's team, the Steam Rollers - who boasted a scrum of similar strength and reliability ("we flatten 'em!" Grandpa once shouted at a press conference). Unions began to ban play against the Providence team, and ultimately funds dried up. While Grandpa Uno was wealthy enough to fund the team on his own, after his Vermont Cheddar Cheese Co. had taken flight, and other financial projects had been vastly successful, he felt it a good sign to move on, joining the NFL as a football team in 1925. The team has some reputation, though only finished first once, with a record of 8-1-2 in 1928. What they are famous for is having hosted - at the Cyclodome in Providence, the first night football game in history (a 16-0 loss to the Chicago Cardinals on November 6, 1929).

To commemorate the team that once was of greatness, Uno had a photograph taken at the beginning of the 1925 season, the last season in which all of the original rugby Steam Rollers were still on the squad. This photograph hangs in the Providence, RI location of Pizzeria Uno.