Born in Cerignola, Province of Foggia, he made his professional debut in 1974 with Serie C side Lecco.
After a short spell with Como, he was signed by Serie B club Palermo, where he spent two successful season, scoring a total 29 goals and winning a topscorer title in 1981.
He then returned to the Italian top flight in 1983, with Napoli, where he spent a single season before to move to Cagliari.
Gianni De Rosa died on August 2, 2008, in a road accident in Rimini, as his motorcycle was struck by a bus in the night.
This biographical article related to association football in Italy, about a forward born in the 1950s, is a stub.