Vic Voltaggio
Sport: Baseball
Born: June 23, 1977
Town: Vineland
Vito Henry Voltaggio was born March 17, 1941 in Vineland. Vic attended Vineland High School and Cumberland County College before enrolling at East Carolina University. He joined the Marines and was deployed to various posts in Asia—including South Vietnam—during his final two years at ECU. After leaving the military, he went to umpiring school.
Vic began umpiring in the minors in 1973 in the Midwest League. He worked his way up the umpiring ladder quickly and, after two seasons at AAA he was promoted to the American League in the spring of 1977. He soon established himself as an umpire with a generous east to west strike zone, but was admired (even by hitters) for his consistency. In 1979, Vic was one of the umpires who participated in a two-month strike. When the walkout ended, he and his crew received a standing ovation from the fans at Fenway Park. Fred Lynn joked that it was the last time Boston fans would ever cheer for the men in blue.
Among Vic’s choice assignments were the ALCS in 1981, 1985 and 1990, the 1987 All-Star Game and the 1989 World Series. Vic had the home plate assignment for Game 3 of the 1989 World Series between the Gants and A’s. While he was getting ready in the dressing room, he was thrown to the floor when an earthquake shook Candlestick Park for 15 seconds. Vic was behind the plate for Rpger Clemens’s 20-strikeout game against the Mariners in 1986 and also called Chris Bosio’s 1993 no-hitter for Seattle against the Red Sox. He left the game after 20 years in the big leagues.
After retiring, Vic ran umpiring camps for many years, and was named National Commandant of the Marine Corps League.
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