August Camarata (1991) - Hall of Fame

August Camarata

Induction:
1991
Class:
1948

Cedar Falls native August L. "Pudge" Camarata helped put a spark in the Iowa State Teachers College football teams of 1942 and 1946.

Camarata was a star fullback at Cedar Falls High School where, in 1939, he earned all-state honors. After spending a year at Wartburg College and a year on the ISTC freshman team, he became a sensation in 1942. An ankle injury forced Camarata to miss the seasonÕs first two games and play only briefly in the third. But when he got his chance against Morning side, he took advantage of it, rushing for 165 yards and leading the Panthers to a 26-6 victory. Camarata finished the season as the Panthers' fourth-leading scorer with four touchdowns.

Between 1943 and 1945, he served in World War II as a Marine, earning a Sliver Star Medal for Gallantry in Action against enemy forces and a Purple Heart in a June 11, 1945 battle at Okinawa, Japan. When he returned in 1946, he brought the spirit of victory to the Panthers and led them to the North Central Conference Championship. Led by Camarata, the Panthers finished second in the nation in rushing offense and seventh in the nation in total offense. Camarata ranked third in the conference in total points scored and first in points per game. For his efforts, he was named to the all-conference team and received third team Little All-America honors from the Associated Press.

He was an eighth-round draft choice of the Chicago Rockets and a 12th-round draft choice of the Detroit Lions in 1947. He finished his bachelor of arts degree in 1948 and moved on to Eagle Grove, Iowa, where he coached junior college football and high school wrestling. In 1950, he was called back to active duty with the Marines, earning his second Silver Star for Gallantry in Action against enemy forces on June 11, 1951, in Korea.

After serving three years int eh Korean Conflict, Camarata came back to Waterloo to work in the sales department of a large John Deere dealership. While there, he helped pioneer the Harvestore storage and livestock feeding systems. During this period, he also was the commanding officer of the Waterloo Marine Corp Reserve Unit. After eight years at John Deere, Camarata became the owner-operator of an A.O. Smith Harvestore Dealership where he spent the next 25 years.