He came to TCU on a ROTC scholarship. Now he’s the football team’s starting tight end.
Dominic DiNunzio had no desire to play football when he arrived on TCU’s campus four years ago. The Cleveland native didn’t play in high school, opting for basketball and rugby, and was drawn to Fort Worth for an Army ROTC scholarship.
But DiNunzio has gone from club rugby player to walk-on football player to a starting tight end. It’s been a remarkable journey to date and the story keeps getting better.
DiNunzio hauled in a touchdown reception in TCU’s upset of Baylor two weeks ago and then came through with a 46-yard reception in TCU’s loss last week at Oklahoma State. DiNunzio is looking to make it three consecutive games with an impact play as Kansas visits town this weekend.
As memorable as those moments have been on the football field, though, DiNunzio hasn’t lost track of what brought him to TCU. His top priority hasn’t changed. He continues to work toward becoming an officer in the Army through the school’s ROTC (reserve officers’ training corps) program.
While most players on the football team dream of one day playing on Sundays, DiNunzio dreams of leading a platoon of troops one day.
“You can ask my mom. This is always something I’ve wanted to do,” DiNunzio said. “It’s not the words a mom wants to hear when her son says he wants to go to the military. But it’s something I’ve always wanted to do and I know I’d regret it if I didn’t. I’m very excited to be a part of the ROTC program and go lead a platoon of troops one day.”
Ann DiNunzio backs up her son’s story, saying Dominic always gravitated toward wearing camouflage outfits growing up. Military service runs in the family, too, with both of his grandfathers being Korean War veterans.
His paternal grandfather, John DiNunzio, served in the Marines. His maternal grandfather, Joe Mattes, served in the Army. Along with his grandfathers, Dominic always liked picking the brain of a family friend who flew helicopters while in the military.
“Dominic loved hanging out with our friend who was a Chinook pilot and talking to him about it,” Ann said. “He started doing the ROTC stuff on his own before he even told me. I had a hard time with it at first because of our friend who is in the military. It’s very valuable and rewarding, but there’s also stuff you can never unsee. That’s the part I’m worried about, but it’s something he’s always wanted.”
Football calling
It’s hard to believe that a future Division I football player went through Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland without ever stepping on the field. The Ohio school is a football powerhouse, winners of multiple state championships over the years and it has produced a number of college and NFL players.
Former NFL Pro Bowl offensive lineman LeCharles Bentley is a Saint Ignatius graduate. So is Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon and New England Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer.
Somehow, DiNunzio, who is listed at 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, never played. Instead, he focused on basketball and rugby in high school.
“Quarterbacks from my high school will text me and say they could’ve used a little help. They mess with me a little bit back home,” DiNunzio said, laughing.
“I guess I didn’t play because my dad was a basketball player in high school and college and I was a basketball guy. I clearly did not translate that very well to the next level — a little lack of size and athleticism. I missed hitting people honestly, so that’s why I switched to rugby, so I played those two: basketball and rugby.”
DiNunzio continued playing rugby in his spare time at TCU, crossing paths with former football players. That’s when they encouraged him to walk on to the football team his sophomore year. And in 2019 he did just that.
DiNunzio saw the field once that season — in TCU’s 51-14 victory over Kansas — but he didn’t get any snaps in 2020.
This season, DiNunzio has worked his way into the starting lineup, taking advantage of an opportunity once Carter Ware went down with a season-ending injury. DiNunzio made his first career start in the West Virginia game on Oct. 23 and has seen his share of snaps in the games since.
Those closest to him are soaking in every moment.
“It’s been an interesting journey,” said Dave DiNunzio, Dominic’s father. “It’s been fun to watch. With his work ethic and all of that, it’s been something that we’ve seen since he really started high school. He worked his way into being a starter on the varsity basketball team in high school and has always taken to coaching very well.
“If he sets his mind to something, he’s going to get it done.”
ROTC life
Balancing academics and athletics is difficult enough for many Division I college athletes. DiNunzio has to do that, of course, as well as maintain good standing in the ROTC program.
The ROTC program is demanding from a time standpoint, academic standpoint and physical fitness standpoint. Cadets are expected to do physical training three days a week from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., take a weekly class that ranges from one to three hours, and then participate in a two-hour outdoor leadership lab every Thursday afternoon.
“I was Cadet DiNunzio’s instructor his sophomore year and then one of his instructors his junior year and one of his instructors his senior year [this year],” Army Maj. Edward Carr said. “If you sit down and add everything up, I took about seven to 10 hours of his week with ROTC. Then, on top of that, he was in 15 hours of academics with a challenging major. Then, on top of that, he’s playing Division I football.
“Just the fact that he was able to keep up and really live in three different realms when a lot of people would struggle between academics and athletics was pretty impressive. He was able to do it and thrive in all three areas too.”
Carr went on to explain the ROTC program as one that is centered around incremental leadership evolution each year. Freshmen may be in charge of small tasks or groups and, by the time they’re seniors, they’ll be planning and executing various platoon sergeant roles.
Every cadet in the ROTC program is on scholarship with a commitment to serve at least four years in the military upon graduation. If they fail to meet the ROTC academic or physical fitness standards at any point, they are stripped of their scholarship with only one opportunity to get it back.
Academics haven’t been an issue for DiNunzio, an accounting and finance major. He earned first-team Academic All-Big 12 honors on Thursday, which is given to student-athletes who maintain a 3.20 or better GPA.
“Outside of the high academic standards, cadets have to maintain high physical fitness standards and have to maintain height and weight standards,” Carr said. “If you’re not able to maintain any one of those three, you’re not getting a scholarship and you’re not becoming an officer at the end. Cadet DiNunzio has been able to balance all of that while still being competitive on the football team.”
DiNunzio is listed as a sophomore on the football roster with two years of playing eligibility left. Academically, though, he is a senior. Upon graduation, DiNunzio is expected to start his service commitment but he may be eligible to obtain a waiver in order to continue his football playing days.
Whatever happens, DiNunzio views it as a win-win. He’d love to extend his football days if possible but he’s prepared for military life too.
“It’s possible to get that waiver and the ROTC is really supportive of student athletes, especially me throughout my football career here at TCU,” DiNunzio said. “But they have to get that approved. If it doesn’t end up going through, I know that I’m ready for the Army.
“I’ve trained four years for this. It’s something that I’ve wanted to do throughout my whole life. I’m ready either way.”
