Meet Al Rocci, the oldest living former Red Sox employee

BOSTON — For 40 years, Al Rocci had the dream job, getting paid to watch baseball and meet the biggest legends of the sport.

It's safe to say there are few people who have seen more Sox games in their lives than Rocci, who today is 101 years old.

Born in 1917, Rocci is the oldest living former Red Sox employee. He worked as an usher at Fenway Park from 1936 to 1975.

For all the years he worked as an usher, Rocci had front row seats to see some of baseball's biggest stars, many of whom would become his friends.

"I've been very lucky," said Rocci. "I favored them all, I liked them all."

Recounting all his years working for the Sox is an interesting trip down memory lane, one page at a time.

"[There's] nothing like it," said Rocci. "You know I enjoyed every bit of it every day."

Rocci, who now lives in a Wakefield nursing home, built a Red Sox shrine inside his Medford home where he lived for 66 years.

Years worth of Sox history fill the room, where many of the players featured became Rocci's friends, like Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky, Joe DiMaggio and the Great Bambino.

"Babe Ruth was number one, no question about it," said Rocci. "Babe Ruth, there's nobody like it, he was the best of all times."

"Everything revolved around the schedule, it was never even thought of, 'Oh we won't go,' it was just automatic, you know," said Carol Rocci, Al's daughter.

Carol Rocci, Al's daughter, says baseball was a family affair. Her parents were married for 67 years and she says the only thing that kept her father away from Fenway Park was serving his country.

"The only games he ever missed at Fenway he was in the Army in World War II, he was overseas," said Carol. "It took a war to get him away from the games."

But Al Rocci's love for sports didn't end when he retired from the Red Sox in 1975. He then went to work for the Patriots - also as an usher - for another 40 years. Rocci also worked for the Boston Braves.

"I can't explain the feeling and how lucky I've been, I've been very lucky," said Rocci.

When asked if he ever asked players for their autographs, Al says he never did because back then you didn't do that.

>> MORE: A look into a die-hard Red Sox fan's team memorabilia room

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