Why is sports officiator Frank Fats Cubellis called "Fats"?
November 24, 2013 8:07 PM   Subscribe

Frank Cubellis, a New Castle, PA, sports officiator, got the nickname "Fat" shortly after birth and was later called "Fats". Is this because he was chubby or fat or for some other reason?
posted by kirsti to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (4 answers total)
 
While I don't know about this Fats, my Uncle Fats is so called because he is incredibly thin. It can go both ways.
posted by ocherdraco at 9:48 PM on November 24, 2013


I have met at least one person called "Fats" because he was good at pool and the only pool player most people have heard of is Minnesota Fats (who was called "Fats" because he was large), so there's a third possibility.
posted by Etrigan at 12:51 AM on November 25, 2013


It might be because he had chubby cheeks, rather than being fat per se. I think this was true for Fats Navarro, who was a jazz trumpet player, and probably true for Jimmy Ponder, a jazz guitarist.

While some people are named ironically (e.g. Little John, or the example above), most other people called Fats are because they are perceived to be a little chubby - this holds for Fats Waller and Fats Domino - bearing in mind guys typically get the nickname early so chubby is a pretty relative thing where people are still in their salad days. There aren't loads and loads of examples but I guess there might be one or two nicknamed because their playing style resembles Fats Waller, Domino etc.
posted by MuffinMan at 4:30 AM on November 25, 2013


“When I was born, somebody gave me the nickname of ‘Fat’,” Cubellis said. “I don’t know who put an ‘s’ on the end. In 1979, I paid $50 at the courthouse and had it added to my regular name, so that’s what I go by. That’s my real name. I don’t know how I got it, but I love my name. I love it.”
posted by MonkeyToes at 6:41 AM on November 25, 2013 [2 favorites]


« Older No more drama, plz   |   Bulk Christmas goodies Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.