As a defensive end for the Springfield College football team, senior Umberto Dimeo doesn’t get a lot of glory.
But he does have a shot at a few steak dinners, which makes it all worthwhile.
Springfield plays a three-four alignment and, as one of the down lineman, it is Dimeo’s job to occupy the blockers and allow the linebackers to move in for the kill and rack up the big statistics.
“Our defense is very assignment based,” Dimeo said. “We gotta get our hands on the offensive guys and make sure they’re not getting up to second level. It’s more LB based, so the linebackers make the plays and we do all the dirty work.”
But it’s work worth doing, as the 2011 Hamilton West graduate knows it’s all part of the effort. Not to mention, there is an incentive clause that promises some tasty beef on the table.
“I do enjoy it; I understand that when the backers make the play that it’s kind of our play, too,” he said “Plus we have a thing, where if a linebacker gets enough tackles at the end of the year, he has to buy the defensive linemen a steak dinner.”
And although his dad Angelo owns one of the most popular pizza places in Hamilton Township and Dimeo is huge fan of his pasta, he is definitely a fan of sirloin, as well.
“We’ll let (the linebacker) pick out the restaurant, but we have to make sure it’s a good steak,” Umberto said. “That’s all we care about.”
There is one other perk as well. If the defense can put the opponent in a passing down, the ends are unleashed.
“On third down, we get after the quarterback and try to get a sack, so we can still make a little celebration at the end,” Dimeo said with a laugh. “I have a little dance in the works.”
Dancing isn’t what Dimeo is about, however. He has always been a no-nonsense football player, going back to his days as a linebacker at Hamilton.
He knew he wanted to go away to school and also play football, and found the Massachusetts school to his liking. It was also a chance to grow as a person.
“It was nice to get away and experience the real world,” he said. “I like being away, seeing what’s out there. I think that’s my favorite thing about college. I’m three and a half hours away, so I’m close to home. But I’m on my own, I can do what I want and I have to make my own decisions. In the end, you have to make your own decisions.”
When he arrived at Springfield, the coaches’ decision was to move him from linebacker to down lineman, which became a bit of an adjustment, along with the superior size and speed of Division III college players as opposed to high school kids.
“It’s totally different because I go from standing and now I have my hands on the ground,” said the 6-foot, 240-pounder. “It’s a lot harder than I realized coming off the ground because you don’t see everything. At linebacker you’re standing up, you see everything.
“But I wouldn’t say it was too tough. We have good coaches here. They knew I was a linebacker, and they eased me into it. Now I’ve got the fundamentals down pretty well.”
Dimeo traveled with the team on away games as a freshman but didn’t see a lot of playing time. He caught a bad break as a sophomore when he suffered a concussion in the first few minutes of his fourth game of the season. Because he had technically played in four games, he was unable to get a medical redshirt, and the remainder of his season was wiped out.
“That was disappointing, because in college you only have so many years to play, and you want to play in all of them,” he said. “Just being on the sidelines though, you get some perspective, and I realized I really love this game, and knowing I couldn’t play anymore was very tough. It kind of gave me a little insight that I never had, about how much I really love to play.”
After that frustrating season, Dimeo came back strong and earned a starting job as a junior. He finished among the top five on the team in tackles with 36 (18 solo, 18 assisted); had six tackles for losses, one sack and one interception.
His efforts helped Springfield to its third straight winning season with him on the team, and third trip to an ECAC Bowl game (awarded to non-NCAA Division III playoff qualifiers).
This season he is back on the line and through the first two games had five tackles in his role of occupying the o-line.
“Umberto has developed into one of our top defensive lineman,” Pride head coach Mike DeLong said. “He always hustles, has good speed, is technically sound, and really uses his hands well.”
The technically sound part is what Dimeo has worked hardest at since he had to undergo a position change from high school. He feels he has finally grasped it this year.
“After my junior year, I wanted to make sure going into this season that my fundamentals were down to the point where I didn’t have to think about it; where it comes naturally,” he said. “Once that comes naturally you’re able to make more plays and do things faster. I wanted to focus on that, and be more explosive off the ball.”
After three straight ECAC Bowls, Dimeo is hoping for a trip to the NCAA playoffs. After that, he has the option of putting his upcoming business management degree to work, or applying to become a graduate-assistant coach for the Pride while pursuing his master’s degree.
“I’ve always wanted to be a coach, it’s just something I’ve always wanted to do,” he said. “I like the mental part of the game as much as the contact and running around. I would love to be a coach one day at a college or maybe even with an NFL team.
“I watch our coaches here. I kind of see how each coach coaches and teaches. I kind of pick up the best points from each one of them. My defensive coordinator (Jack Holik) knows football better than anyone in the world.”
It definitely sounds like Dimeo definitely wants to stake his claim to coaching—after he claims his steak, of course.
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