When Mario Ferraro died in March of 2002 at age 74 after an illness, the headline on page one of The Ridgewood News read, “Ridgewood man had 2 passions: family and football – Village mourns Mario Ferraro.” A gridiron Co-captain and All-State lineman for the Maroons, he remained devoted to the sport for the rest of his life.

He was nicknamed “The Mole,” because of his small statute, but he surprised opponents with his drive and tenacity. Dr. Mario Ferraro was a well-known dentist in Ridgewood since 1954 and an orthodontist since 1959, until his retirement in 1994. He was the dentist of several of the Hall of Fame honorees. He continued his association with RHS football as a member of the Ridgewood Junior Football Association and the Ridgewood High School Football Scholarship Committee. He also photographed and filmed RHS football games for several years. Mario and Betty, his wife of 50 years, had six children. Paul, Pete, Chris and Mario all toiled on the gridiron for RHS. Michael was a standout performer at Paramus Catholic and Mary was a RHS cheerleader.