Ed Vargo

Who was Ed Vargo?

Edward Paul Vargo was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League from 1960 to 1983. He officiated in the World Series, National League Championship Series and All-Star Game four times each, and also worked a number of other historic games. His 3,554 total games ranked ninth in NL history when he retired. During most of his career, Vargo wore uniform number 20.

Vargo, of Hungarian and Ukrainian descent, was born the youngest son of Alex and Mary Vargo in the Pittsburgh suburb of Butler, Pennsylvania, where he continued to live throughout his life. In his youth he worked as a batboy and equipment manager with the Butler Yankees of the Class-D Pennsylvania State Association. After briefly playing as a catcher in the St. Louis Cardinals system, he served five years in the Army, where he began umpiring, and began his professional career in the Georgia-Florida League, Piedmont League, Eastern League and International League. In his second year in the NL, he was rated the neatest umpire in the league in a Sporting News poll of writers, managers and coaches. He married Elizabeth Joan Hunter on February 9, 1963; they had four children, sons Edward and David and daughters Karen and Kristin.