Samuel Leo LoPresti
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Navy
LoPRESTI, Samuel Leo
Samuel Leo LoPresti was born on January 30th 1917 to Francesco Paolo & Melchiora "Yola" [Colletti] LoPresti in Elco, Minnesota, near Eveleth.
Sam LoPresti was a legend in the hockey world; in Eveleth and then in the NHL. Mr. LoPresti put his NHL career on hold when he volunteered to join the Navy. He was inducted into service on May 4th 1942 during WWII. Seaman LoPresti's legendary status spilled over into his military service. He served aboard the USS Roger B. Taney as a gunner's mate.
The Taney was torpedoed and sunk during an Atlantic crossing in February 1943. Seaman LoPresti was listed as Missing in Action and thought to be the first casualty among American professional athletes in the conflict.
When the USS Roger B. Taney sank, LoPresti and the other Naval Armed Guards abandoned the ship onto life rafts. They were picked up the next morning by the lifeboats; he was one of 26 men who took refuge in a lifeboat with minimal water or food supplies. The lifeboat drifted towards the South American coast in a voyage of 42 days, traveling nearly 2,500 miles before they were found and rescued off the coast of Brazil.
LoPresti was credited with saving the men's lives by catching the only real food they had during their entire ordeal after noticing dolphins swimming around their boat on one occasion. According to another sailor, LoPresti improvised a weapon by lashing a sheath knife to a boat hook. He plunged into the ocean, catching a 35-pound dolphin that they survived on until they were rescued.
Seaman LoPresti was honorably discharged on September 1st 1945. After the war Sam Lopresti restarted his hockey career after the war but never got another start in the NHL. He married Carol [Erickson] on April 1st 1941 in Chicago. Illinois. His son Peter was also a goaltender and also played in the NHL like his dad. Sam was a charter member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, inducted in 1973.
Sam LoPresti died on December 11th 1984 in Eveleth, Minnesota at 67 years of age. He is buried at Eveleth Cemetery.
Source(s):
Albert J. Amatuzio Research Center | Veterans Memorial Hall (vets-hall.org)
Sam Lopresti (1917) in Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File - Fold3
Samuel “Sam” LoPresti (1917-1984) - Find a Grave Memorial
U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 - Ancestry.com
