Pucci grew up in The Hill, a historically Italian American neighborhood in St. Louis, and attended Southwest High School, where he played on the varsity football team for four years and was named an all-district and all-city player.

[1] Pucci was given a chance to play for the Cleveland Rams of the National Football League in 1945, but decided not to take the offer.

[1] Pucci was traded in early 1948 to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for tackle Roman Piskor and the rights to draft Notre Dame's Pete Ashbaugh.

[7] Pucci played for the Colts for the first five games of the season, but quit after he and several other players were asked to take a pay cut.

[1] His career took him to California, Missouri, South Bend, Indiana and finally to San Antonio, Texas in 1980.