Kid Crochet

Dino Crocetti
Downinthe5th salutes an Ohio legend and one time Boxer Dino Crocetti. A high school dropout at sixteen, Crocetti went to work in the tough Ohio Steel Mills. With a hunger for the big time Crocetti took a jab at a boxing career. A tall dark haired kid, Dino Crocetti had the look of a contender, until the action started. Fighting under the name of (Kid Crochet), with a record of 1-11, Crocetti luckily left the ring to seek his fortune in the gambling halls and nightclubs.
And one night in a city where boxers career’s are made and shattered, Dino Crocetti brought the house down in Skinny D’ Amato’s 500 club in Atlantic City. Dean Martin went on to a music and show business career that one could only dream about.
Steubenville Ohio has never forgotten their favorite son as the city hosts the annual Dean Martin Festival. A celebration to honor a skinny kid from Stubenville who went on to become a household name and create a sound that could never be mistaken. On Christmas Day of 1995, Dean Martin (kid Crochet) quietly passed away at the age of 77, surrounded by family and more money than any Welterweight of the era ever dreamed of.