Ronald J. Jacomini Photographs

Images in the Toledo Trooper photograph collection are thanks to a generous donation from photographer and emeritus professor of Bowling Green State University (BGSU), Ronald J. Jacomini.

Ronald J. Jacomini was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1941 and graduated from Glastonbury High School, Connecticut in 1959. He earned his Bachelor of Design from the University of Florida in 1963 and his Master of Fine Arts from Bowling Green State University in 1965.

Jacomini’s involvement with the Toledo Troopers football team began during his teaching career at BGSU. A dear friend and fellow BGSU alumni who had relocated to Toledo proposed that Jacomini photograph the team. He was given free reign at the sidelines of games and photographed at a variety of locations during the Troopers' 1976 season including indoor and outdoor practices and the 1976 National Women’s Football League (NWFL) championship game held at the University of Toledo’s (UT) Glass Bowl Stadium.

Since the team’s games were usually played at night, to which Jacomini travelled with the team by bus, games were difficult to shoot. Although he had to shoot using faster film to capture the nighttime images, it was a difficult balance to get the right exposure without losing clarity. Fortunately, due to his expertise and even the addition of a new camera to his toolkit at the time, he was able to produce beautifully detailed images.

The complete collection of 52 photographs and 21 contact sheets was added to TLCPL's archives in December of 2021. Jacomini's images of the Troopers are also featured in the 2022 documentary, We Are the Troopers: The Women of the Winningest Team in Pro Football History, and the companion book of the same name by Stephen Guinan.