Dario Pighin was born in Majano (Udine), on February 6, 1951.
He was formed in the Udinese youth set up and in 1971 made his debut for the Friulani in Serie C. He stayed two years, under manager Luigi Comuzzi and the "Zebrette" finished 3rd and 2nd, so narrowly missing promotion. He played 49 league games for the Bianconeri.
In 1973 he moved to the opposite end of the peninsula and joined Palermo in Serie B. He stayed in Sicily for three seasons, playing 101 league games and scoring 1 goal. The Rosanero finished 7th, 5th and 11th. The managers were Corrado Viciani the first two years and then Benigno De Grandi and Antonio De Bellis the last year.
In 1974 they reached the final of Coppa Italia but were beaten by Bologna on penalties (the Rossoblu had equalised in the 90th minute with a controversial penalty).
In 1976 he joined Lazio in Serie A. The manager was Luis Vinicio and the Biancocelesti finished 5th. Pighin played 8 league games.
In 1977-78 Vinicio started but was replaced by Bob Lovati in early April. Lazio finished 10th, drawing both derbies but beating Juventus 3-0, Milan 2-0 and Inter 1-0, all at home. Pighin played 18 league games and 2 in the UEFA Cup.
In 1978-79 Lovati stayed on and Lazio finished 8th. The Biancocelesti won an epic derby, coming from behind and winning 2-1, with an 88th minute Aldo Nicoli winner. Pighin played 9 league games and 2 in Coppa Italia.
The 1979-80 season was Lazio’s "annus horribilis". First before the derby, on October 28, a nautical flare shot from the Roma end killed a Lazio fan Vincenzo Paparelli. Then in March four Lazio players were arrested, accused of match fixing and Lazio were later punished with relegation. On the field Lazio had miraculously avoided the drop but then came the harsh punishment in the courts. Pighin played 13 league games and 3 in Coppa Italia.
In 1980-81, in Serie B under Ilario Castagner, Lazio finished 4th just missing out on promotion. The turning point was a penalty miss by Stefano Chiodi in the penultimate game against Vicenza. Pighin played 17 league games and 4 in Coppa Italia.
In 1981-82 Castagner started but was replaced by Roberto Clagluna in early February. Lazio had a negative season and finished 11th. Pighin played 24 league games. This was his last year in Rome. The following season Bruno Giordano and Lionello Manfredonia returned from their suspensions and Lazio renewed the squad, to finally win promotion which they did.
Pighin instead joined Taranto in Serie C1. He played 20 league games under Lauro Toneatto and the Ionici finished 3rd.
In 1983 he joined SPAL in Serie C1. The manager was Giovanni Galeone and the Estensi from Ferrara finished 4th. Pighin played 30 league games. One of his teammates was former Lazio, Stefano Ferretti.
At 33 he retired. Since retiring he has run a trout farm and produced wine in San Daniele in Friuli. Wise man.
As a player Pighin was a classic defender, specializing in man -to-man marking. At 1.80 and 74 kilos he was a strong, rugged defender and good in the air. He played 289 professional league matches.
At Lazio he stayed six years but apart from a year in Serie B he rarely held down a regular place in the sides. He however played 106 games for the Biancocelesti (48 in A). He is sometimes confused with Pietro Ghedin who played for Lazio in the same period.
Lazio Career
Season | Total games | Serie A | Serie B | Coppa Italia | UEFA Cup | Intertoto Cup |
1976-77 | 8 | 8 | - | - | - | - |
1977-78 | 26 | 18 | - | - | 2 | 6 |
1978-79 | 11 | 9 | - | 2 | - | - |
1979-80 | 16 | 13 | - | 3 | - | - |
1980-81 | 21 | - | 17 | 4 | - | - |
1981-82 | 24 | - | 24 | - | - | - |
Total | 106 | 48 | 41 | 9 | 2 | 6 |
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